Lonely No More
by Nichole33
Summary: An unlikely friendship leads to an even more unlikely love. Tulie fanfic.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Lonely No More

Pairing: Tim/Julie

Synopsis: An unlikely friendship leads to an even more unlikely love.

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story…unfortunately!

A/N: Hello ladies! Well, I'm back with another Tulie, this one set in high school – that seemed to be what I received the most feedback on, so I hope you ladies will enjoy it. It starts the summer before Season 3 and will continue on into Season 3 as the story progresses. I absolutely loved Tim during Season 3. He still had that hint of a bad boy, but he was funny and really sweet with Lyla. Even though I couldn't stand him and Lyla as a couple, I liked how he was with her (I just always thought it would be better if he acted like that with someone else…like Julie!) So, that's what I'm planning on doing in this story :D That being said, there will be some storylines from Season 3 entwined with the story (though not always in the same order), with my own spin on them. So I guess this story could possibly contain some spoilers for any of you ladies that haven't seen Season 3. So, be warned :D Now that I've written a novel as an author's note I'll quit rambling! You ladies please let me know your thoughts about this chapter and let me know if I should continue with this one! Enjoy!

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If the saying, 'Time flies when you're having fun' was true, then the opposite was even more so. Julie didn't know if she had ever been as bored as she was sitting on the lifeguard stand, while time seemed to be moving slower than molasses.

It wasn't that she didn't enjoy her summer job at the pool, because she did. It had a lot of perks – it was easy, she got paid pretty well, and she got to work on her tan.

But some days just seemed to drag on and on. Today was definitely one of those days.

Her eyes scanned the pool for what felt like the thousandth time, making sure everything was still alright. She was so bored, that she found herself almost wishing for something a little exciting to happen. Nothing serious - maybe a kid getting scared on the slide or better yet, an angry rally girl trying to dunk Tim Riggins.

She grinned thinking of that scenario. Not likely, considering that Tim was currently floating around with a girl on each side and a huge shit-eating grin on his face. But hey, a girl could dream.

The pool was crowded with a mixture of small kids and their parents, and teenagers not having anything better to do on the hot mid-July afternoon. There were several people from school scattered around the pool, but not many that Julie would consider her friends.

Friends? What friends?

Julie was starting to feel like she didn't have any of those anymore. Lois was spending the summer in California with her grandparents. Tyra was working extra hours at Applebee's to save up money, and any of her free time was usually spent with Landry.

Landry _could_ be considered a friend, but he spent all his time with Matt. And Julie wasn't sure exactly what she and Matt were anymore. Things were still slightly awkward after the whole her dumping him for the Swede thing last summer. Add his little love fest with Carlotta into the mix, and there just seemed to be too much water under the bridge for them to truly be friends again.

So, when she basically should be living it up and enjoying her summer, her days consisted mostly of working at the pool and then going home and watching movies with her parents. Which was really just pathetic when she stopped to think about it.

Here she was with less than a month left before school started back, and she hadn't done one truly fun thing all summer long. Work and go home. Work and go home and spend time with the parentals. Boring, boring, boring.

She blew her whistle at a couple of kids running around the pool. "No running." She warned quickly.

She smiled, watching as the kids slowed down to a fast-paced walk. Her eyes roamed the area to see Matt and Landry standing in the shallow end of the pool, looking like they were having a serious discussion.

Landry saw her looking their way and waved. Julie returned the wave as her eyes met Matt's. She smiled slightly. He gave her a small wave before turning back to his discussion with Landry.

Well, maybe we can work on that friendship thing, she thought to herself.

Hearing a commotion to her left, she turned her head to see what was happening to find Tim Riggins pulling himself out of the pool. The two females who had been sharing his float apparently didn't want him to leave from the begging they were doing. Tim didn't seem to be listening as he stood on the edge with his hands on his hips, water dripping down his chiseled body.

Julie could see the grin on his face from clear across the pool, and she could tell that he was thoroughly enjoying the girls begging for his company. She shook her head at their antics – the girls, and women, of Dillon were so easy where Tim was concerned. They all wanted a piece of him – whether to tame the 'bad boy' or to heal his 'wounded soul'. Or just for a good roll in the sheets.

Julie had to admit that he was good-looking, probably the best looking guy at Dillon High if she was being honest. And he really wasn't as dumb as he wanted everyone to believe. Misguided and maybe a little lazy on anything other than football, but definitely not dumb.

Julie had surprisingly learned a lot about Tim during the short time that he had stayed in the Taylor household last year during football season. Mostly that he was loyal and would stick his neck out for you if need be. She had learned that when he had taken flack from her dad and saved her from a near-disaster with some Riley dude, earning both her respect and her father's.

Yeah, Tim was a lot different than the persona that he chose to show the rest of the world. Sure, he drank too much and partied too hard, and would probably always be a bit of a bad boy, but there was a lot more underneath all that.

Julie shook her head quickly. Why am I sitting here analyzing Tim Riggins?

She glanced down at her watch, sighing deeply. "Because I've got another hour left of work and nothin' better to do." She mumbled.

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"Well shit." Julie muttered, slamming her phone shut.

She had finally finished her long shift at work and called her mom for a ride home, only to hear her mom say that Gracie had just laid down for a nap and that it would be at least another hour or so before she could pick Julie up.

"Could this day get any worse?" She muttered to herself, slipping her phone into her bag.

"You talkin' to yourself, Taylor?"

She looked up to see a smirking Tim Riggins sidling up beside her. "Apparently it can." She muttered quietly.

"You okay?" He asked, coming to a stop in front of her.

Julie nodded her head slightly. "Yeah, I'm just peachy." She said dryly.

Tim smirked. "You don't sound like it."

"It's just been a long day, and now my mom says she can't come pick me up for at least another hour." She shrugged, looking down at her feet and then back up at Tim.

"I can give you a ride."

"No. You don't have to do that." She said quickly, shaking her head slightly.

"I know I don't _have_ to." He said simply. "Hop in." He said, walking around to the driver side of his truck.

Julie walked to the passenger side, opening the door and hoisting herself up into the truck. She wasn't going to turn down a ride, that was for sure.

"Thanks."

"No worries."

With that, Tim pulled out of the parking lot and onto the streets of Dillon, heading toward Julie's house.

They rode in silence. Tim wasn't usually much of a talker, while Julie tended to chatter away when she was nervous. Or even when she wasn't.

After several minutes of silence, Julie glanced at Tim. "Um, I really do appreciate the ride."

"No problem." He responded, taking his eyes away from the road to give her a small smile. "Your place is on my way home anyway, Jules."

Julie nodded. "I'm hoping to get a vehicle of my own soon. It kind of sucks depending on your parents and having to borrow their vehicle to get around."

"Yeah." Tim said, nodding his head. "I bet."

"Not that I have a whole lot on my social calendar or anything." She said sarcastically. "But it would be nice to have my own vehicle."

"You're not partying every night?" He asked with a smirk.

"Ha! That's funny." She said dryly, rolling her eyes at him. "If you consider sitting at home with my mom and dad nearly every night partying, then yes, I'm partying hard."

Tim chuckled quietly, shaking his head slightly.

"So, um, practice starts up next week. You lookin' forward to it?" She asked.

"I don't know." Tim shrugged. "Lookin' forward to getting the season started, but not necessarily the practicing."

"Dad's excited. He's been watching game tape 24-7. It's driving me and my mom crazy."

Tim chuckled lightly. Julie grinned at the sound as the two fell back into a comfortable silence.

"Oh, slow down, slow down!" Julie said excitedly a few moments later. "Stop the truck!"

"What's wrong?" He asked, slamming on brakes and coming to a stop on the quiet street.

"See that car right there." Julie said, pointing to a dark blue Celica parked in the drive. "That's the car Mrs. Oddmarc from church is going to sell me whenever I save up enough money."

"Jesus, Jules." Tim muttered softly. "I thought something was wrong, or it was something important."

"Me getting a car _is_ important." She said emphatically. "What do you think?"

Tim shrugged. "It's a car."

"It's not _just_ a car." Julie huffed. "It's going to be my car. Isn't it beautiful?"

Tim chose not to comment, smirking instead as he once again began driving down the street.

"It looks better than this truck." Julie stated bravely, giving him a smirk.

"Jules, you disrespect my truck and I might have to let you walk the rest of the way home." Tim responded with a smirk of his own.

Julie laughed quietly, surprisingly enjoying the easy, playful banter after the day that she had. She knew that she and Tim got well enough, but she hadn't expected for his offer to drive her home to be the highlight of her long, boring day.

A few moments later, Tim pulled up in front of Julie's house, bringing his truck to a slow stop.

"Well, thanks for the ride." She said, turning to give him a smile. "I know, I know – no worries."

Tim grinned, watching as she climbed out of the truck.

"Well, um, I guess I'll see you around, at the pool and stuff." Julie said quickly, pushing her hair behind her ear and giving him an almost shy smile.

"See yah, Jules." He said with a nod.

"Yeah, see yah." She said with a smile, shutting the truck door and making her way to the house.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Lonely No More

A/N: Lots of thanks for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites after only the first chapter. You ladies are awesome :D Enjoy!!!

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Tim pulled up to the Alamo Freeze, a scowl on his face.

He was tired. Tired of Coach riding his ass at pre-season practice for not being good at tailback. Tired of Billy bitching at him for not keeping the house clean enough. Tired of trying to convince Lyla that she belonged with him and not her little preacher boy. He was just plain tired.

He had pretty much decided to give up on the whole Lyla situation. He had tried his best all last school year to sway her attention away from Chris, but when summer arrived and he still hadn't made any progress, he had pretty much given up.

He hadn't been to church in almost two months, and he had only seen her a couple of times since summer began.

He was moving on. No more waiting around on Lyla Garrity. No sense in pining after someone who didn't care about him. Especially when there were plenty of women in Dillon more than willing to keep him company.

Lyla was probably better off without him anyway, he thought climbing out of his truck and making his way inside the building.

"Riggs." Smash said, smiling from his spot behind the counter as Tim walked in.

"Williams." Tim said, nodding his head in greeting.

"What's goin' on, man? What can I get yah?" Smash asked.

"Sundae. Extra chocolate."

Smash nodded, turning to prepare the sweet treat. "So, how's it goin' playing my old position?"

"You want the truth?" Tim asked, watching as Smash nodded his head. "I'd go back to fullback in a heartbeat. I got Coach, I got Seven, riding my ass. And you're gonna love this - I'm reminded every day that I'm no Smash Williams."

Smash grinned, handing the sundae over to Tim. "You'll get it, Riggs. You'll probably never be as good as the Smash, but you'll get it." He said with a cocky grin.

Tim shook his head, taking a bite of the sundae as he leans back on the railing, turning as he hears the ding of the door opening.

"Miss Julie Taylor." Smash drawled, a flashy smile on his face. "How's it goin'? What can the Smash get for you?"

Julie walked up to the counter, giving Tim a quick hello before placing her order.

"One chicken sandwich coming right up." Smash said, returning her change and heading to the back to prepare her order.

"So, um, how are you?" Julie asked after a few seconds.

Tim smirked. Julie definitely wasn't one for silences.

"Alright. You?"

"I'm good. Just stopped by to get something for lunch before heading to the pool." She said quickly, shifting from foot to foot, drawing Tim's gaze to her tanned legs.

Nice. Very nice, he thought to himself.

"How's practice goin'?" She asked, drawing his gaze back up to her face.

"It's goin'." He said shortly, shrugging his shoulders and taking another bite.

He immediately regretted the gruffness with which he had spoken, seeing her eyes dim slightly at his answer. Hell, it wasn't her fault that he was having a shitty day.

"Oh." Julie said quietly. "Um, well, if you need to talk about it or whatever…"

Tim nodded slightly. "Thanks, Taylor." He said quietly, a little surprised by her offer.

Though he wasn't sure why he was surprised. Julie was one of the few people that never seemed to judge him. And she was refreshingly straight up with him, unlike most of the girls he knew.

She seemed to actually care what he thought. Either she was one of the few people that did, or she was a damn good actress.

"Here yah go, Miss Julie." Smash said placing a paper bag on the counter and pushing it her way.

"Thanks." Julie said giving Smash a smile. "Well, um, I guess I'll see yah." She said, turning back to Tim.

"Yeah." Tim drawled, surprising himself with his next words. "There's a party at Bradley's house tonight. A lot of folks from school will be there. That is if you're not already partyin' with your parents." He said with a smirk.

Julie grinned, shaking her head slightly. "Um, no, I don't have any plans."

"You should come."

"Yeah. Yeah, I might do that." She said with a smile. "See yah."

"Later." He said, watching as she walked out the door. All the while wondering what had prompted him to ask her to the party.

Maybe it was remembering her comments from last week about being bored. Or maybe it was because he just wanted to spend more time with her.

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Julie walked around the crowded house wondering why in the world she had decided to come to Bradley's party.

She had said hello to a few people, but for the most part she had walked around in circles, looking for someone – anyone – that she was somewhat acquaintances with, but so far she wasn't having much luck.

She wished like hell that Tyra was there. But when Julie had called to ask her about going, Tyra said that she had to work the closing shift at Applebee's.

And Julie had yet to see Tim. She knew that he had probably just invited her because he felt sorry for her for having no social life, but at least she could talk to him.

She smiled at a couple of girls as she made her way out the back door, hoping to find somewhere a little less crowded as she stepped onto the back porch.

This is really sad, she thought to herself. I came to a party to get out of the house and have fun, and now here I am trying to get away from the party and be by myself.

"Pathetic, Taylor." She muttered to herself, shutting the door behind her.

Hearing giggling to her side, she turned to see Tim and a couple of females sitting on a porch swing. Well, Tim was sitting on the swing while the girls were practically sitting in his lap.

Her gaze met his, and Julie was sure she was blushing all the way to her toes. She just hoped the dim porch light wasn't bright enough for him and his little playthings to see her embarrassment.

"Um, sorry. I didn't know anyone was out here. I'll just..." She stammered quickly, motioning back toward the door as she turned to head back inside.

"Hold up, Taylor." He called deeply, causing Julie to pause and slowly turn back to him.

She watched as Tim quietly said something to the girls, who Julie now recognized as the Stratton sisters.

She watched as they each gave him a little pout before getting up and heading toward the door, both sneering at Julie as they passed her to head inside.

Julie stood their awkwardly for a few seconds wringing her hands together. "Um, you didn't have to send them inside."

Tim shrugged nonchalantly. "Been there, done that." He said simply.

Julie looked at him, trying to figure out if he was kidding or being honest. From the look on his face he was telling the truth, which really shouldn't have surprised her at all considering his reputation.

"Beer?" He asked, pulling a couple of bottles out of a six pack sitting on the porch.

"Uh, sure." She responded, walking toward him.

She watched as he popped the top off for her before handing the bottle over. "Thanks."

Tim nodded, motioning his head toward the empty spot on the porch swing beside him.

Julie hesitated slightly before finally sitting down gently. Tim gave the ground a little kick with his foot, sending them swinging slowly back and forth.

"Wasn't sure you'd come." He drawled, taking a drink of his beer.

"Yeah, I probably shouldn't have." She stated, noticing his questioning look. "I'm not really friends with any of these people. I've pretty much been walking around in circles lookin' for someone to talk to."

"You're friends with me."

Julie looked at him closely, again trying to figure out if he was kidding or being honest. No trademark Riggins smirk – he must be telling the truth.

"Um, yeah, I guess." She said slowly. "But I didn't see you around because you were too busy making out with not one, but two different girls." She said with a smirk.

Tim grinned, taking another long drink of his beer and rocking the swing back and forth.

"So…" Julie said after a few minutes. She knew Tim could sit there all night and not say a damn word, but she couldn't handle the silence.

"So…" He answered mockingly, a smirk on his lips.

"Do you, um, want to talk about the football stuff? You seemed pretty upset about it earlier today when I asked." She said hesitantly.

She didn't want to seem like she was prying into his business, but she wanted him to at least have someone to talk to if he needed to.

Tim sighed deeply, fiddling with the label on his bottle of beer.

"I didn't mean to pry." She said after a few moments of silence, worried that she may have made him mad.

"I just thought you might need someone to talk to. But you don't have to. We can talk about something else, anything else." Julie rambled, trying to think of some other topic that might be better to get Tim talking.

The only things she could think of were beer and women – and Julie didn't particularly want to discuss either of those.

"Nah, it's okay." He said quietly, turning to meet her gaze. "I'm playin' tailback now. Don't know if you knew that or not, but I am."

"Um, is that a good thing?"

"No." He replied quickly. "I hate it. I'm a fullback. A damn good one too. But Coach has swapped me over saying this is what's best for the team. And I'm sure he's right, but it sure as hell don't feel like it."

The dejected sound of his voice was a little worrisome to Julie. She had never heard him be down and out about football. Tim lived for football.

"Well, I'm sure that the more you practice, the better you'll get. I mean, that's true with everything, yah know?" She said hopefully.

Tim nodded. "Yeah. It's just the gettin' there that's tough right now. Everybody's ridin' my ass like I gotta be perfect or something."

"Yeah." Julie whispered, not sure what else to say to encourage him.

"But, I'll get it eventually like you said. Sure as hell can't get any worse." He said with a smirk. "Coach know you were coming to this party?"

"Yeah, though I was pretty sure he was going to say I couldn't come after the argument we had earlier."

"Arguing about what?"

"Me getting a job once school starts. Tyra's like ninety-nine percent sure she can get me a job with her at Applebee's. And if I want a car anytime this century, I need a job." She said dramatically.

"Don't most parents want their kids to work?" He asked, giving her a slightly confused look.

"That's what I said!" Julie huffed. "But not my parents. My mom's on this whole 'your grades are the most important thing' kick right now, even though I keep telling her that I can work and keep my grades up. They just never really stop to look at things from my perspective. It makes me so mad that I just want to scream sometimes."

Tim nodded slowly, not saying anything as he continued drinking his beer.

"Do I sound like a whiny brat?" She asked after a few seconds, biting her lip as she looked at him.

"No." Tim said. "Not the brat part anyway." He smirked.

Julie laughed quietly, taking a sip from her own bottle. "I'm sorry. And I know they mean well. It's just frustrating sometimes living in a house with two 'perfect' people."

"You're lucky though, Jules. At least they worry about yah and try and do right by you." He said quietly, once again fiddling with the label on his bottle.

Julie was quickly learning that Tim had a tendency to fiddle with the label on his bottle when he was talking about something important, almost as if he needed those moments to gather his thoughts before actually putting them into words.

"Yeah, you're right." Julie said, truly feeling like a spoiled brat when she thought about her family compared to Tim's.

"You know, livin' with your family last year was about the closest I ever got to seein' what a real family was like." He said softly. "It was nice." He said with a soft smile, meeting Julie's gaze briefly before looking away, obviously a little embarrassed to be sharing something so personal.

Julie wasn't sure how their whole conversation had gotten so deep. She hadn't expected it, but she felt almost somewhat honored to see this side of Tim that she was sure the majority of people in Dillon never got to see.

But at the same time, she didn't want to depress the guy. It was apparent that he had enough on his plate thanks to her dad changing his position. He came to the party to relax and have fun, not to bare his soul.

"Yeah, it was nice until I had to go and mess it all up, right?" Julie said playfully, trying to lighten the mood.

Tim grinned, looking back up at her. "You and your drunk ass got me kicked out on mine."

"Hey, I apologized!" Julie said indignantly. "I can't help it that I don't handle liquor very well." She said with a grin.

"I'm not even sure you should be havin' that beer." He drawled, reaching over to try and grab her bottle out of her hand.

She pulled it back out of his reach, laughing as she placed her other hand on his chest, trying to push him away.

"Stop." She said playfully, giggling all the while.

"Coach scared the shit out of me the last time I took you home drunk. I don't think I could live through it a second time." He said with a smirk, settling back onto his side of the swing.

"One beer's not gonna send me over the edge, Tim."

"Hope not."

"No worries." She said mockingly, throwing him a fake smile.

Tim smirked, kicking his foot on the ground and causing the swing to rock faster and higher.

Julie smiled, enjoying the rocking motion and enjoying the company.

Maybe coming to the party had been a good idea after all.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Lonely No More

A/N: Hello ladies! Lots of thanks for all the great reviews on the previous two chapters - I really do appreciate it! I love hearing what you all think of each chapter. I hope you all share your thoughts with me about this chapter as well. So, enjoy!!!

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Tim walked out of the community pool restroom, his wet bathing suit in his hand, his jeans and sleeveless Panthers shirt now covering his body.

He glanced around, spotting Julie beside the pool talking to another lifeguard. She had also changed out of her swimsuit and into a very short pair of denim shorts and a light blue tank top.

Tim had been watching Julie, and had purposely gotten out of the pool and changed clothes when he saw her shift ending. He told himself that it was just because he knew she would need a ride home.

While that was true, it was also because he was learning that Julie Taylor was actually pretty fun to hang out with. She was funny, with her quirky and sarcastic remarks.

And being with her was comfortable. Tim didn't have to try and be anything he wasn't, which was damn refreshing after always having everyone trying to change him into something else.

He walked slowly toward her, taking a few seconds to admire the view as his gaze travelled from her head to her toes. Not for the first time, Tim noticed what a looker Julie really was.

Coming up behind her quietly, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pretended to shove her into the pool, causing her to shriek loudly, sounding like a little girl.

"Tim!" She said, turning around to find him as the culprit of her scare. "Damn it." She said, slapping him in the chest with her hand.

"Hey!" He responded, rubbing his chest with his own hand. Little Julie Taylor packed a punch.

"Oh, be quiet. I think that hurt me worse than it hurt you." She said quickly, rubbing her own hand against her shorts to try and stop the stinging. "You scared me."

He chuckled. "Just messin' with yah, Taylor."

"Well, 'just messing' with me is gonna get you kicked out." She said with a glare.

"You could do that?"

"Yep. Being a lifeguard gives me power. I could get you kicked out faster than you could get into some rally girl's pants." She said with a smirk.

"That's pretty fast." He drawled, a hint of a smile on his lips.

"Please try not to sound proud of that fact." Julie said, shaking her head and trying to hold back a grin.

"You need a ride?" He asked as the two of them made their way toward the parking lot.

"Um, well, I better get a ride from my mom today. But thanks anyway."

"It's no biggie, Jules. I can give you a ride." Tim said quickly, trying not to sound too pathetic.

Hell, the only reason he had even planned on leaving the pool this early was to spend time with her, and now here she was trying to shoot him down.

"Well, I'm not going home. I need to go to the mall and pick my dad up something for his birthday." She said, glancing up at him. "It's tomorrow."

"Alright." He said. "I can give you a ride there."

"Are you sure? I know that's out of your way, Tim."

"Positive." He said with a grin. "No arguing, Jules. Hop in."

Julie rolled her eyes at his bossiness, walking around and climbing into his truck.

Tim grinned as he climbed in as well, happy to have gotten his way.

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Julie groaned as she walked out of the bookstore with Tim close at her side, both of them still empty-handed. "Men are so hard to buy for."

"Not true." He replied. "Women are harder than men."

Julie grinned as she shook her head, still surprised that she was shopping with Tim Riggins.

She had tried to convince him just to drop her off at the mall, saying that her mom could come pick her up. He had mumbled something about having nothing better to do and had proceeded to follow her from store to store on her search for the perfect present.

Julie was glad to have the company though. Tim was in a playful mood – teasing her and aggravating her at every opportunity. She was pretty sure that her sides were going to be sore the following day from all the laughing she had already done.

"Women are so easy." Julie argued, seeing his eyes widen and a smirk form on his lips. "Easy to buy for, Tim. Get your mind out of the gutter."

Tim chuckled. "That's hard to do when you say comments like that."

"You're pathetic." She said with a laugh, shaking her head. "Women are easy to buy for. Jewelry, perfume, flowers, chocolate, shoes – you name it, a woman will like it."

"You like those things? That's what you'd want if it was your birthday?" He asked as they walked slowly through the mall.

"Well…" Julie said, tilting her head to the side as she thought about what she'd want. "I wouldn't mind any of those things, but they wouldn't be my first choices. I'd probably rather enjoy a book of some sort or anything to do with Europe – I so want to travel their one day. Or of course, a car would be a nice birthday gift too." She said with a laugh.

Tim smiled. "Maybe church lady will just give you her car for your birthday."

"Yeah, right." Julie said with a smirk, turning as she hears giggling from behind them. "Uh Tim…I think we're being followed." She whispered, motioning to three females trailing along behind them as they walked through the mall.

Tim turned, giving the girls a slow smile before turning back to Julie.

"Jesus, don't encourage them." Julie hissed. "Does this usually happen when you come to the mall? Random girls following you around like you're some kind of celebrity?"

Tim shrugged. "I don't come here all that often." He replied, throwing his arm across her shoulders and pulling her closer to his side as they continue walking.

"Uh…what are you doin'?" Julie asked, surprise in her voice as she felt goosebumps covering her skin at the feel of Tim's warm arm along her bare back and shoulders.

"Makin' them think I'm taken. Maybe if they think you're my gal, they'll get the hint and go away."

Julie grinned. "So, you're basically using me to try and scare them off?" She asked slyly. "I should get paid for this." She muttered playfully, laughing as Tim squeezed her shoulder.

She found that she surprisingly enjoyed the feel of Tim's arm around her shoulders. After the initial shock, it felt good – almost right in a sense to be walking around with Tim at her side.

Just two friends out having a good time. So what if one friend thought that the other friend was gorgeous and smelled better than any man had a right to smell.

"You know, I'm helping you run interference with your stalkers, but you're not really helping me out with my birthday present dilemma, Tim."

"Okay. What does your dad like – besides football. You said yourself that you've gotten him everything he could possibly have related to football."

"Um, that's tough. Football is my dad's life." Julie said slowly, racking her brain for ideas.

"Grilling." Tim said a few seconds later, coming to a stop in front of a large department store. "Your dad loves grilling. Get him a new grilling set or something."

"That's a great idea!" Julie said enthusiastically, giving him a big smile.

"I have them occasionally." Tim said with a shrug. "Once or twice a year."

Julie laughed. "Whatever. You're a lot smarter than you want everyone to think. You don't have me fooled, Riggins." She said playfully, pulling him into the store in search of the perfect gift.

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Julie felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She and Tim had found a twelve-piece grilling set, complete with every grilling utensil imaginable, on sale. Julie had also bought her dad an apron that said 'Real Men Grill'. She knew he'd get a kick out of that.

After finding the gifts, they had headed to the card store to pick up the final piece – a birthday card.

As Julie stood in front of the massive card display, she was having a hard time finding a good card for her dad.

Mostly due to the fact that Tim kept picking out the most inappropriate cards and reading them to her, causing both of them to laugh loudly. Julie just knew that any minute she was going to see the manager coming around the corner to ask them to leave for disturbing the other customers.

"How 'bout this one?" He said with a chuckle, holding up a card with a large donkey on the front. "_Party your ass off_." He read.

Julie giggled. "My dad would not appreciate the humor in that."

"He might like it, Jules. He's all about working your ass off." He drawled, sending Julie into another fit of giggles.

"Oh, this is the one. For sure." Tim said in a serious tone, giving Julie a nod as he showed her another card.

Julie leaned closer to Tim to see the card, complete with two young, scantily-clad strippers on the front and the words '_I decided to get you a few strippers for your birthday'_.

Tim opened the card to reveal a picture of two old ladies that had to be at least eighty years old in the same stripper clothes, with the words '_I couldn't afford the good ones – Happy Birthday!_'.

"Eww! Gross!" Julie exclaimed, laughing at the picture. "That's just wrong." She said, wiping the tears from her eyes as she continued laughing.

"I really think you should get this one. Coach probably ain't seen a stripper in years." Tim drawled, a gleam in his eye as she watched Julie.

Julie cringed, shaking her head. "Don't even go there. Discussing anything even overtly sexual involving your parents is just wrong, Tim."

Her statement made Tim laugh, bringing a smile to Julie's lips. She was pretty sure she'd never seen him laughing this much and she was glad that she was sharing the moment.

He had a nice laugh, and she especially loved how his eyes would light up with laughter, making him look almost boyish and care free.

"How 'bout you buy it for my dad and give it to him yourself. That way you can deal with the wrath of Tami Taylor." Julie said with a grin.

"I think I'll pass." He chuckled. "Mrs. Coach can be scary."

Julie giggled, leaning into his side as he started laughing again. She didn't know what was wrong with her. Obviously being in close proximity to Tim was causing her to be delirious with laughter, but she liked the feeling.

"Tim?" Julie heard, turning to find Lyla Garrity and her boyfriend standing behind them.

"Uh, hey Lyla." Julie said quickly, her laughter dying down almost as quickly as Tim's.

"Hey, Julie. Hey, Tim." Lyla said in her sugary sweet voice, looking back and forth between them.

It was obvious to Julie from her confused look, that Lyla was wondering why in the world Tim Riggins and Julie Taylor were hanging out together.

"Garrity." Tim said softly, giving her a small nod.

As the four of them stood there looking at one another, Julie could feel the tension radiating off of Tim as he stood at her side. She didn't know what was going on, but whatever it was had Tim on edge.

Lyla's boyfriend cleared his throat after a few seconds, interrupting the awkward silence.

"Oh, sorry. Chris, this is Julie. And Julie this is Chris, my boyfriend." Lyla said.

"Hi." Julie said quickly, giving the blonde guy a small smile. He looked as awkward as she felt.

Julie glanced at Tim. Gone was the laughing, fun Tim that she had spent the afternoon with. He had been replaced by a brooding, lonely-looking Tim that she didn't like near as much.

Julie had never had any issues with Lyla. They weren't exactly friends, but they weren't enemies either.

But looking at the way she had affected Tim just by showing up quickly put Julie on the defensive.

"So Tim, I haven't seen you around much this summer." Lyla said softly, giving Tim a sweet smile.

"I've been busy." Tim drawled, wrapping his arm around Julie's shoulder and once again pulling her up against his side.

Julie knew that he was insinuating that he had been busy with her. Normally she would have stepped back and corrected his statement, but not today. Not when Tim was looking like some lost little puppy.

She didn't care if he used her as a buffer against whatever it was going on between him and Lyla. She wrapped her arm around his waist, looking up and giving him what she hoped was an adoring smile.

Julie then glanced at Lyla, and was sure her eyes were about to pop out of her head at the sight of the two of them looking so cozy with one another.

Ha! Take that, Garrity.

"Well, I guess I'll let you two get back to whatever it was y'all were doing." Lyla said slowly, taking Chris's hand. "Bye you guys."

"Bye." Julie said softly, while Tim just nodded slightly.

After a few seconds, Tim removed his arm from her shoulders, leaving Julie feeling empty and a little lost herself.

She quickly removed her arm from around his waist, biting her lip as she looked up at him, not sure what to say.

"I uh, I'll wait for you by the door." He muttered, barely glancing at her as he walked off.

Damn Lyla Garrity, Julie thought with a snarl as she quickly chose a card for her dad.

After paying for her purchase, she met up with Tim by the door. The two of them walked silently through the mall and out to his truck.

Both climbed into the truck, with Tim slamming his door a little harder than necessary.

As he went to place the key in the ignition, Julie reached out and grabbed his hand, wrapping her fingers around his. "Tim, wait." She said softly.

She held her breath wanting, and hoping, for Tim to say something. But he remained silent, looking out the windshield but not seeing a thing.

"I know that you're not a talker, and that's okay. And I know you probably think I talk way too much, which is true." She said quickly, searching her brain for the right words to try and convey her feelings.

"But, I just wanted to say…that I'm sorry." She said softly, giving his hand a squeeze.

He looked up slowly, meeting her gaze. "For what?" He asked quietly.

Julie swallowed. It was kind of hard to form words when he was looking at her so pointedly with that lonely-look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry that you and Lyla obviously have something going on that's hurting you. I mean, you're upset – that's obvious. And I don't need to know all the details or anything, but I do know that you're a good guy and that you don't deserve something like this." She finished in a rush.

Tim stared at her for several seconds, making Julie's heart beat double time as she licked her lips nervously.

Finally, his mouth tipped up in a small smile as he looked down at her hand holding his as it now rested on the seat. "You're something else, Jules."

The affection in his voice sent a wave of butterflies straight to her stomach, and the feel of his thumb brushing over her knuckles made her shiver lightly.

"I uh, I told Lyla that I loved her last year toward the end of the season." Tim said softly, continuing to stare at their joined hands. "She shot me down, but I wouldn't accept it. Kept tryin' to win her over. Hell, I even went to church." He drawled, meeting her gaze.

Julie smiled slightly. Tim Riggins at church. Now that was a sight she wished she had seen.

"But she's with preacher boy, and that's cool. I'm over her. I really am. But just seeing her with him brings up all those feelings."

"What feelings?" Julie asked quietly, wondering if he means that he realized he still loves her. For some unknown reason Julie hoped that wasn't the case.

"The knowing that she chose someone else over me. That feeling of not being good enough, yah know?" He said, meeting her gaze.

"Yeah." Julie said, giving him a small smile as she nodded her head. "Not trying to sound all 'Counselor Tami Taylor' on you or anything, but you know that you are good enough right? I mean, there's nothing wrong with you Tim. Well, maybe other than your love of plaid shirts, but…" She said, watching as he grinned at her dig at his wardrobe.

There's that trademark Riggins smirk, she thought as she let out a deep breath that she hadn't realized she was holding.

"How do you do it, Taylor?" He asked with a smirk.

"Do what?

"Manage to get me to spill my guts and then make me smile and feel like it's all gonna be alright?"

"It's a gift." She said cheekily, giving him a grin, trying to keep him from seeing how much those words really meant to her.

"Thanks." He said, giving her hand another squeeze before pulling his hand away slowly. "Well, I guess I better finally get you home." He drawled, placing the key in the ignition and starting the truck.

"Home?" She questioned. "I was thinking that after helping you fight off the hordes of women after you in the mall, that you at least owe me some ice cream."

Tim smirked, pulling out of the parking lot. "Alamo Freeze it is then."

Julie smiled, nodding her head in agreement. It had been a fun day, despite the Lyla incident, and she wasn't ready for it to end quite yet.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Lonely No More

A/N: It's Wednesday, which means this work week is half way over for me :D That thought makes me extremely happy. Almost as happy as all the great reviews from you lovely ladies! Please keep them coming! They're a great motivator, that's for sure :D Not much Tim/Julie interaction in this chapter, but I promise the next chapter is full of Tim and Julie togetherness! But hopefully you ladies will like this one anyways. Enjoy!!!

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"Saracen! Riggins! Get your asses over here!" Coach yelled loudly, causing every person standing on the field to turn and look at the two players being summoned.

Tim jogged slowly toward Coach as he took his helmet off, knowing that he was about to get chewed out for his poor performance on the field.

He came to a stop in front of Coach, with Matt standing beside him, both dreading the coming tirade. Coach could be the most inspirational speaker at times, but he could make you feel like scum of the earth at other times.

"Is there something I need to know?" Coach asked quietly, watching as both boys shook their heads. "Cause let me tell you two something. You better get it together, or I will replace you. I promise you that." He said seriously, pointing his finger at them.

Tim nodded slowly. He understood.

"Now make it work!" Coach said louder, sending both boys back out on the field. "Run it again!"

Tim pulled his helmet back on, taking his spot on the field to run through more plays, trying his damnedest to concentrate and execute the plays like they were meant to be executed.

After several more plays with Tim and Matt actually getting most of them right, Coach finally called an end to practice, telling the guys to hit the showers.

Tim trudged slowly off the field, tired both physically and mentally from the hard practice. He was looking forward to a long, cold shower.

"Riggins! Come here a second." Coach yelled, motioning Tim over with his hand.

Ah shit, Tim thought. What have I done now?

"Yeah, Coach?" Tim said, coming to a stop beside him, wondering what he wanted.

"You looked a helluva lot better those last few plays." Coach said, taking his hat off and running his fingers through his wild hair. "You keep studyin' that playbook. Know it backwards and forwards You hear me?"

"Yes, sir." Tim responded, nodding his head.

Coach nodded too, standing there with his hands on his hips as he looked at Tim. "You and Julie been spending a lot of time together lately."

Tim nodded slowly, trying to hide his surprise at the change in topic.

"Why is that?" Coach asked.

"We're friends." Tim replied after a few seconds, not really knowing what else to say, but speaking the truth.

Unlikely, but true. Some how over the past few weeks the two had gotten much closer. Tim had probably talked more to her than he'd ever talked to anyone.

"Friends." Coach drawled, sounding like the word left a bad taste in his mouth. "Friends?"

"Yes, sir."

"You listen to me." Coach said sternly. "You're a good kid. You earned my trust last year when you were protectin' my daughter. I told you then, that was a real honorable thing to do."

"Thank you, Coach." Tim said softly.

Those words probably meant more to him than Coach would ever know. Despite the kind words, Tim was sure there was about to be a 'but' to Coach's statement.

"Now, that bein' said, I don't want her to get hurt. I ain't sayin' that y'all can't be friends or whatever the hell y'all are." Coach said quickly. "But she is my daughter, and I love her. You hurt her, and me and you are gonna have some serious problems. You got that, son?"

"Yes, sir." Tim said, nodding his head as he met Coach's gaze. "I understand."

The two locked gazes for several seconds, with Coach finally giving a short nod. "Good. Now get out of here. Go study that playbook." He said, giving Tim a slap on the back.

"Thanks, Coach." Tim mumbled, trotting off the field and heading toward the locker room.

Tim hadn't expected that, though he probably should have. Hanging out with Julie would undoubtedly lead to a talk from Coach.

Not that he blamed Coach. Tim knew he was just looking out for Julie, but Coach didn't have anything to worry about.

He and Julie were friends, and he would never do anything to hurt her, at least not intentionally.

Kind of hard to believe, but true. For probably the first time in his life he was friends with a girl. No strings attached, no ulterior motives – just friends.

He had come to look forward to her company, finding interest in her constant ramblings.

Probably more importantly, he liked having someone actually listen to what he had to say. He didn't talk a lot, but when he did, Julie listened. Really listened.

And he cared about what she thought, even what she thought about him. Or maybe if he was being honest, he cared about her.

Either way, he knew that he had found a friend in Julie, and he wasn't about to let Coach or anyone else get in the way of that.

"Not gonna happen." He muttered to himself, opening the door to the field house.

Tim slowly walked into the locker room, taking a spot on the bench in front of his locker, thankfully taking off his practice jersey and beginning to unlace his shoulder pads.

"Uh, h-hey Riggs." Matt stammered, coming to stand beside Tim.

"Seven." Tim drawled, not looking up as he focused his attention on getting out of his sweaty pads. "I'm studyin' the playbook, Seven. I'm workin' as hard as I can to get this tailback thing right." Tim muttered.

He didn't feel like getting a speech from Saracen too about football.

"Oh, I wasn't gonna say that." Matt said quickly. "I know, I know that you're trying hard. I-I am too. We'll get it together. We've just gotta keep practicin'."

Tim nodded, standing to slip his heavy shoulder pads off over his head, quickly following with his undershirt as he turned toward his locker.

"I uh, wanted to ask you about y-you and Julie." Matt stated in a rush, nervousness apparent in his voice.

Tim paused, turning to meet Matt's gaze. "What about us?"

Matt cleared his throat. "W-well, I just noticed that y'all were, um, talkin' and stuff more at the pool and all. And I know y-you've been giving her rides a lot."

"Yeah." Tim drawled. "You got a problem with that, Saracen?"

"No, no. I was just, I was just wondering if y'all are, you know, just friends or whatever." Matt stammered.

"Not that it's any of your business, Seven, but yeah, me and Julie are friends. But that's it." Tim stated, wondering if Matt was interested in Julie.

"Oh, okay. Well, that's g-good." Matt said, a small smile on his lips. "I-I was just worried that it might be something more. I mean, Julie's really not your type though, and with y-your reputation and all."

Damn it, he didn't need to hear another speech from Saracen about football, and he sure as hell didn't need to hear a speech about the differences between him and Julie Taylor.

Tim grabbed his clothes and slammed his locker shut, turning toward Matt. "No worries, Seven." He muttered before sauntering toward the door.

He headed out of the locker room, deciding to skip the shower in lieu of a nice, cool swim at the pool.

He knew Julie would be at work right now, and he knew that just seeing her would make him feel better.

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"This pasta is delicious." Eric said, taking a huge bite of Tami's latest creation.

"Thanks, honey." Tami smiled. "Ms. Bailey from school gave me the recipe. She used to bring it all the time for lunch, and it just looked delicious. I just had to get it from her and try it myself."

"It's good." Eric said again, giving Tami a nod. "So, Julie, how was work today?"

Julie shrugged, twisting the pasta around her fork. "Okay. Uneventful."

"No rescues today?" Eric asked with a smirk.

Julie smiled. "Not today."

"Riggins at the pool today?" He asked.

"Yeah…" Julie responded slowly. "Along with about half the rest of the team. They usually make an appearance after practice to cool off."

Eric nodded, his jaw clenched slightly, a sure sign to Julie that something was up.

"You and Riggins seem to have gotten awful close all of a sudden. Hanging out at the Alamo Freeze, him driving you all over the damn place."

"Dad, we stopped by the Alamo Freeze once for some ice cream. And he gives me a ride home sometimes. No big deal." Julie said matter of fact.

"Sometimes? It seems to me like Riggins has turned into your own personal chauffeur." Eric said with a dry laugh.

"Honey…" Tami said, giving her husband a look. "Jules, what your father is trying to say, is that we've noticed that you and Tim have been spending a lot of time together, and we just want to clarify the status of y'all's relationship."

"Why the big deal? I mean, seriously, I doubt if I was spending time with anyone else that y'all would be all worried about it. Just because it's Tim, it has you guys all worried." Julie said, an edge to her voice.

"Now young lady, don't go gettin' an attitude." Eric drawled, giving her a stern look.

"Well, excuse me dad, but it seems just a tad bit hypocritical. I mean, you trusted Tim enough to live in your own home, but y'all are giving me the third degree about hanging out with him." Julie stated in rush, getting more upset by the minute.

"Yes, Tim has a bad reputation, a lot of which he brought on himself. He's far from perfect, but he's a good guy. And I'm not going to apologize for being friends with him." She finished in a huff.

Silence filled the table for several seconds as Julie looked back and forth between her parents, almost daring them to say another negative word about her friendship with Tim.

"That's what Tim said earlier today." Eric said quietly, giving her a long look.

"What?"

"I had a little talk with him after practice, asked him what he was doin' spending so much time with my daughter."

"Oh my God…" Julie whined, dropping her head into her hands. "Dad, that is so embarrassing."

"No, it's not embarrassing. It's a father lookin' out for his daughter." Eric explained. "But he said the same thing you did, that y'all were friends."

Julie lifted her head from her hands, meeting his gaze. "Really?" She asked, a small smile on her lips.

Tim had told her dad that they were friends. She wasn't sure why, but that small fact made her feel a little giddy inside.

"Yes, really." Eric said, noticing her smile. "Why? Is that not correct?"

"No, no. It is. We're friends." Julie said quickly.

Eric nodded slowly, glancing over at his wife before he spoke again. "Your mother and I are fine with you being _friends_ with Tim Riggins. We are not hypocrites. I know that Tim is a good young man and I do trust him…to a certain extent. But, you are our daughter and we reserve the right to ask questions about who you are spending time with. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir." Julie said quietly, biting her lip to keep from spouting off some sarcastic remark.

"Honey, I'm just curious how this all came about. I mean, you and Tim have always been more of acquaintances. What changed?" Tami questioned.

"I don't know." Julie said softly, shrugging her shoulders. "No offense, but spending my summer sitting at home with you guys can get kind of boring. And I guess I was lonely, with Lois staying with her grandparents and Tyra working so much."

Tami nodded slowly, watching her daughter closely, noticing her somber look as she talks about being lonely, but seeing the almost shy smile that forms on her lips as she begins to talk about Tim.

"And then there was Tim, and we started talking and hanging out, and, and…I wasn't so lonely anymore." Julie said softly, looking back and forth between her parents. "We're friends. An unlikely pair, I know. But we are."

Eric and Tami shared a look, both thinking the same thing. Julie was a little too defensive and quick to protect Tim for them to be _just_ friends.

They both just hoped to God that Julie didn't end up getting her heart broken.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Lonely No More

A/N: Well ladies, here's the next chapter. I hope that you all aren't getting bored with the slow build up - the whole friendship before something more. I'm enjoying writing this one so far, and have enjoyed hearing your thoughts and feedback. As promised, lots of Tim and Julie time in this one :D Enjoy!!!

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"You're tellin' me that you couldn't go without sex for a year if you knew, without a doubt, that you were going to get a million dollars?" Julie asked, turning her body toward Tim as she sat in his truck.

Tim chuckled, shaking his head as he drove down the road. Sometimes he swore Julie just sat around trying to come up with random stuff to talk about.

They had gotten into the habit of playing a game of sorts – what would you do for a million dollars. He had quickly learned that Julie would do a lot for a million dollars, including giving up meat for the rest of her life and running naked across the football field during a game.

He had tried to keep that image out of his head, knowing that thinking of Julie naked was taking a step into the danger zone. But damn, he would like to see it – a million dollars or not.

"A year?" Tim drawled slowly. "That's a helluva long time, Taylor."

"But a million dollars – you could have all the women you want after that."

"I could have that now." He said with a smirk.

Julie snorted, shaking her head. "Pathetic." She muttered, causing Tim to chuckle quietly.

"Come on, Jules. I mean, going without sex for that long. That'd be rough, you know what I mean?"

"No, actually I don't." Julie said quickly, turning to look out the window at the passing scenery, slightly embarrassed at bringing up the fact that she was far less experienced than Tim.

Tim glanced over at her, smiling as he sees the slight blush on her cheeks. The fact that Julie was still pretty innocent obviously bothered her.

"Hey, there's nothin' wrong with waiting to have sex." He said with a shrug.

Julie laughed shortly. "Tim, please don't pat me on the head and tell me that it's great that I'm still a virgin. I mean, that's a little ironic coming from you. No offense."

Tim grinned. "None taken."

"But I could go without sex for a year for a million dollars." She stated with a nod.

"Only if you were still a virgin." He drawled, wondering how in the hell he had ended up talking about this with none other than Julie Taylor. "If you knew how good it could be, you wouldn't be able to go without it for a whole year."

Julie sighed. "I guess I'll just have to take your word for it."

Tim frowned as he pulled up in front of the auto parts store. He hoped to God that she took his word for it. He didn't know why, but the thought of Julie sleeping with anybody left a funny taste in his mouth.

"You waitin' in the truck?" He asked, opening his door.

"Considering that it's like a hundred degrees out here, that would be a no." She replied, quickly hopping out the truck.

Smartass, he thought with a smirk. She always had something to say. Something that usually made him laugh.

The two had become almost inseparable lately. Tim was still giving her rides home from work, but he also found himself spending time with her at the pool, hanging out right beneath her lifeguard stand.

And she had begun helping him memorize plays for his new position at tailback, usually over a couple of chocolate sundaes at the Alamo Freeze.

He knew that people were talking, wondering what was going on between them. Tim didn't care. Let 'em talk.

He grinned, as the two of them walked inside the store. "I just need to pick up a new fan belt for Billy's car, then I'll take you home."

"No hurry." She said, following along behind him, her eyes scanning the shelves.

It didn't take Tim long to find what he was looking for, and the two headed to the front of the store for Tim to make his purchase.

Bag in hand, Tim made his way toward the door, holding it open as Julie passed underneath his arm, her long blond hair tickling his arm.

"Thanks." She said, walking in front of him.

He nodded, digging his keys out of his pocket, his gaze drawn to the sway of her hips incased in her short denim shorts. Tim let his eyes wander down to her tanned legs, his mind drifting to some very non-friend like thoughts.

"Hey, is that what I think it is?" She asked, coming to a sudden stop in front of him.

Surprised by her quick stop, Tim grabbed her shoulders to keep from stepping on her, noticing the soft feel of her skin underneath his callused hands.

"Huh?" He mumbled incoherently.

What in the hell was wrong with him? Checking out her legs? Noticing the softness of her skin? The next thing he knew he'd be writing damn poetry or something.

Snap out of it, Riggins, he thought to himself.

"Look at that building across the street. It's a tarot card reader." Julie said, turning to give him a huge grin.

"Yeah. So." He drawled.

Julie rolled her eyes. "So…I think we should go over there and get our fortunes told."

"No." Tim said, stepping around her and walking toward his truck.

"Tim, come on." Julie whined, grabbing him by the hand and pulling him around to face her. "I've always wanted to do it, but my parents hate that kind of stuff. I've never been because I knew my mom would kill me."

Tim looked down at her, tilting his head to the side. "She'd probably still kill you."

"But she doesn't have to know. Come on, it could be our little secret."

"You rebel, you." Tim said sarcastically, quickly receiving a slap on the chest. "Kidding, I'm kidding." He chuckled.

"Please…" She pleaded, giving him her best pouty face, her eyes twinkling all the while.

Looking down at her upturned face, he knew he couldn't say no. He was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to deny Julie much of anything.

"Alright, Taylor." He mumbled, watching her eyes light up. "But, I'm not gettin' my fortune read or whatever."

"That's fine. You can just go in there with me." She said quickly, excitement in her voice as she grabbed his hand.

Tim intertwined his fingers with hers as they headed across the street. It felt good to have her small hand in his. It felt right.

"You sure about this?" He asked hesitantly, opening the door to the small building.

"Yes, come on." She said, once again walking underneath his arm as he held open the door.

Tim walked inside, looking around the small waiting area and taking in all the bright colors and strange smells. "It smells funny." He drawled, giving Julie a look.

Julie laughed, rolling her eyes playfully.

Tim smiled. He was pretty sure Julie's laughter was something he would never get tired of hearing.

"Hello, may I help you."

Tim turned to find an exotic-looking woman walking into the room, smiling at both Tim and Julie. Her dark hair was pulled up in a bun and she had on heavy make-up, making her look older than what she probably really was.

Tim knew most of the female population of Dillon, but he didn't recall ever seeing this lady before.

"Uh, yes." Julie said quickly. "I um, wanted to have my fortune told."

"Ah, yes. And you sir?" The woman asked, turning her piercing gaze toward Tim.

Tim shook his head, giving the woman an apologetic smile.

"He's just here for moral support." Julie stated, giving him a grin.

"Very well." The woman said with a smile. "Please follow me." She said, turning and walking through a long, red curtain covering a doorway.

Julie looked at Tim, arching her eyebrows slightly before the two of them followed the woman through the curtain and into a dimly lit room.

The walls of the room were covered in dark, heavy material and the smells were even stronger than they had been in the lobby. The whole atmosphere was just a little too creepy for Tim's taste.

"Please, have a seat." The lady spoke, motioning toward a small, round table.

Julie sat in one chair, with Tim taking the seat beside her. He felt Julie slide her chair a little closer to his, the warmth of her thigh pressed against his.

He grinned. The room was obviously creeping Julie out a little, too.

The woman took a seat across from them at the table, pulling out a peculiar deck of cards and placing them on the table.

"Let us begin." She said with a smile, beginning to turn over cards slowly, pausing to look closely at each one.

Tim glanced at Julie to find her leaning toward the table, her bottom lip caught between her teeth and an excited look in her eyes.

The woman began by first stating little things about Julie's personality – she was a thinker, she was impatient, she was a romantic.

"You like to be in charge. Others feel that you can be quite bossy at times." The lady stated, looking down at the cards.

Tim snickered at that comment, quickly receiving an elbow to the ribs from Julie.

"Ah, the cards show that there will be a disruption in your life that you and the one you love must overcome." The lady stated slowly, her face looking from card to card.

Tim watched the lady intently. He didn't believe a word coming out of her mouth, but he couldn't help but wonder who she was talking about when she said the one Julie loved.

"W-what kind of disruption?" Julie asked softly, still biting her lip.

Tim glanced at Julie, looking at her closely. Gone was the excitement from her eyes. Tim thought she was beginning to look a little nervous.

He reached over, lacing his long fingers with her smaller ones as he held her hand. Julie glanced toward him and gave him a small smile, appreciation evident in her eyes.

"I cannot tell. There will be hurt involved. I cannot tell if it is physical or emotional hurt. Or possibly both." The woman whispered, narrowing her eyes as she looked at the cards.

Tim gave Julie's small hand a squeeze, smiling as she squeezed back.

"But…" The lady stated a little louder. "If you and the one you love are able to overcome this disruption, you will find true happiness."

With that final statement, the woman quickly gathered the cards up and placed them back to the side before giving Julie and Tim a smile.

"That's it?" Julie asked quietly.

"Yes. That is all I could read from the cards concerning your future. Are you sure that your boyfriend would not like to have his future told?" The woman asked, glancing at Tim.

"Oh, he's not my boyfriend." Julie replied quickly. "We're just friends."

The woman smiled, glancing down at their joined hands knowingly. "Perhaps." She said softly. "Well, would your _friend_ like to have his fortune told?"

Tim shook his head, meeting Julie's gaze. "No." He mouthed silently.

Julie grinned, shaking her head as well. "No, thank you. I think we've heard enough for today."

"Very well." The lady smiled. "Let us head back to the front and we will take care of the payment."

The three of them walked back into the lobby. Tim pulled out his wallet and handed the lady a twenty dollar bill.

"Tim, I've got money." Julie said quickly, digging through her purse.

"I got it, Jules." He drawled, placing his hand on the small of her back as he ushered her out of the building. He was ready to get out of there.

Stepping outside, he took a deep breath. He was glad to be out of that place – no darkness, no funny smells, no crazy ladies telling Julie things he wasn't sure he wanted to hear.

"Well, you didn't have to do that, but thanks." Julie said as she gave him a sweet smile. "For paying and for going in there with me."

"No worries."

The two of them made their way back across the street toward Tim's truck, walking slowly beside one another.

"I completely underestimated the creepiness factor of having your fortune told. That could be my first and last trip to one of those." She sighed.

Tim nodded slightly. He was pretty sure he never wanted to step foot in a place like that again either.

"Do you think what she said is true?" Julie asked, coming to stop beside Tim's truck, turning to look up at him.

Tim looked at her closely, seeing that she was a little bothered by the lady's words. He knew letting her go in there was a bad idea.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Probably not. I mean, if she could really tell the future, what's she doing in a run down building in Dillon?"

"Yeah, you're right." Julie said with a sigh. "I hope it's not true. For the first time in a while things are goin' pretty good. I sure don't need any _disruptions_ in my life right now."

"Me and you both, Taylor." Tim sighed, opening Julie's door and watching as she hoisted herself into the truck. "Me and you both."


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Lonely No More

A/N: Hope you ladies all had a great weekend! Thanks for the reviews and alerts on the last chapter. I'm glad that you ladies seem to be enjoying this story so far. Please don't hesitate to let me know your thoughts on this chapter as well. Enjoy :D

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Julie walked into Dillon High a little begrudgingly, hardly believing that her summer was over.

While the first half may have been boring, the second half hadn't been that bad thanks to Tim. And for probably the first time ever, she wasn't looking forward to the first day of school.

Tim had driven her home from work at the pool yesterday afternoon like usual. But when she had said goodbye, a worried feeling had come over her.

It was almost like while they were away from school, Julie felt like she and Tim could hang out and things were great. But Julie feared that starting school was going to do something to mess up their relationship.

She and Tim didn't exactly run in the same groups, and she couldn't help but worry that the new atmosphere was going to put a damper on their friendship.

I guess we'll see, she thought to herself as she made her way down the crowded hall, smiling at several people she recognized.

"Taylor."

Julie turned to see her friend in question coming up behind her. She grinned brightly, surprised to see Tim at school already.

"Wow. There's at least another ten minutes before the first bell rings, Tim. This has gotta be some kind of record for you." She said with a smile, holding her notebook against her chest.

He smirked, shrugging his shoulders. "Figured I'd start out on the right foot."

She nodded slightly as the two of them began walking down the hallway together. "Hard to believe summer's over." She said a little nervously, unsure as to why she felt that way.

"Yeah. It was a good one though." He drawled, giving her an almost boyish grin.

"Yeah, it was." Julie replied, unable to wipe the goofy smile off of her face. She couldn't help but think that Tim was insinuating that the summer was good partly because of her.

As they walked down the crowded hallway, Julie couldn't help but notice all the appreciative looks Tim was receiving from the girls - the long glances and the come-hither smiles.

As they continued down the hall, she was slightly surprised that he didn't have girls approaching him already, begging for dates and offering to bear his children.

"Hey, Tim." A perky brunette said, coming to a stop in front of him. "Guess I lost the lottery. I'm your new rally girl."

So it begins, Julie thought wryly.

"Alright." Tim drawled slowly, not bothering to ask the girl's name.

"So, anything you need, anytime you want it." The girl said, handing Tim her number before placing her hand on his forearm, glancing over at Julie curiously.

Julie felt a twinge of jealousy at the sight of the rally girl's hand on Tim that she couldn't understand.

It wasn't like Tim was her's. They were friends. Period.

But knowing that didn't stop her from feeling a stab of jealousy and maybe a little anger toward the overly-flirtatious girl.

Tim nodded nonchalantly as the girl gave him one last smile before making her way down the hall.

He turned to Julie, pressing his lips together tightly, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Well, that's good. I think we've spent enough time at school today." Tim said smoothly. "I say we head out of here."

Julie laughed shortly, shaking her head. "What happened to starting out on the right foot?"

"I did." He said simply, a smirk on his lips. "But that's over now."

"I don't think so. You do remember that my mom's the principal now, don't you?" Julie said, shaking her head.

"Oh, yeah." Tim cringed. "Well, we could live dangerously. Skip anyway."

"I'll pass. I like being alive." Julie said sarcastically. "I've gotta get to class." She said, beginning to make her way down the hall. "And you should too!" She called back to him as she moved through the crowd.

He grinned. "See yah, Taylor!"

Julie smiled. Maybe this friendship thing was going to be alright after all.

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"So, then we went to Los Angeles for a weekend, which was really kind of disappointing because I was expecting to see movie stars. I mean, it's Hollywood, yah know?" Lois rambled, going on and on about her summer in California. "I mean, come on. Brad Pitt? Tom Cruise? I didn't see a single one."

Julie nodded, pushing her food around on her tray as she sat in the lunchroom. She was glad to see Lois after her long stay away from Dillon, but she hadn't shut up since they had sat down at the table. Julie really didn't think it was necessary for Lois to discuss every detail of her trip during their thirty-minute lunch period.

"But we did see the Walk of Fame, and I got my picture made beside several of the stars. I'll have to bring them so you can see them. They're really great." Lois said excitedly.

"Yeah, you'll have to let me see them." Julie said with a smile, nodding in agreement.

"Well, what'd you do this summer? I mean, I'm just goin' on and on about mine."

Julie shrugged. "Not much really. Worked at the pool most of the time."

"That's it?" Lois asked, a hint of sympathy in her voice.

Julie nodded. "Pretty much."

Oh, and I spent a big part of my summer hanging out with Tim Riggins, Julie thought to herself, not bothering to say that out loud.

She wasn't sure how to tell Lois about Tim, or even if she wanted to right now. Lois had an almost unhealthy fascination with all things Tim Riggins and Julie knew it would lead to tons of questions.

"Hey, Taylor."

Damn it, she thought as she looked up to see Tim standing beside their table, a sexy smirk on his face. Well, I guess there'll be no keeping it from Lois now.

"Hey, Tim. Glad to see you stuck around." Julie said with a smirk.

He grinned, running his hand through his unruly hair. "I had it on good authority from a friend that I needed to get to class."

"Glad to know you've got at least one friend with a little bit of sense." Julie chuckled.

Tim grinned at Julie, taking a few steps back from the table. "Later, Jules." He drawled, giving Lois a slight nod before turning and sauntering away, moving through the lunchroom like he owned the place.

Julie followed him with her eyes, watching as he took a seat at a table with several other football players, turning his chair around and facing her way.

He said something to the other players, causing them all to laugh before looking back up and meeting Julie's gaze, giving her a slow grin.

Julie smiled before turning her attention back to Lois, slightly embarrassed that he had caught her openly staring at him.

"All you did was work at the pool this summer?" Lois asked slowly, surprise still apparent on her face. "Because unless I just imagined it, Tim Riggins just came up to you and initiated a conversation, in which you called yourself his friend."

"We, uh, hung out together some this summer." Julie said quickly, shrugging her shoulders like it was no big deal.

"You and Tim Riggins? How did that happen?"

Julie shrugged again. "I don't know. He was at the pool a lot, and he drove me home a few times. We're just friends, Lois. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? Not a big deal?" Lois stated, her voice getting louder. "It's freaking Tim Riggins! My best friend is now calling Tim Riggins her friend. Oh my God, I think I need to lie down." She said dramatically, fanning herself with her notebook.

Julie laughed, shaking her head. "I can't believe I missed you." She said with a chuckle, causing Lois to throw a wadded up napkin at her.

"So, tell me all about him." Lois said, excitement in her voice as she leaned across the table. "What's he like? Have you been to his house? What's he smell like?"

Julie shook her head slightly. She almost wished there was some way for Lois not to have found out about her friendship with Tim. She sure as hell didn't want to get the third degree about every little detail concerning Tim.

But as she met his gaze once again across the lunchroom, receiving another Riggins' smile, she guessed being his friend was worth it.

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"I can't believe that the first game is already tonight." Tyra stated from her seat on the gym bleachers. "I mean, it's Friday. This first week of school flew by so fast."

"Yeah." Julie replied, looking around at the crowded gym as the students prepared for the first pep rally of the year.

Her gaze travelled toward the far end of the gym, where the players were waiting to make their appearance.

"So, what's the deal with you and Landry?" Julie asked, spotting #85 in the group of players.

"We broke up." Tyra said shortly.

Julie grinned. "Does Landry know that you're broken up? Because he sure is staring at you awfully hard for y'all not to be dating."

"I've told him about a million times, but he keeps comin' over and callin' me. The boy can't take a hint that I just want to be friends. He keeps insisting that we're just takin' a break, not actually breaking up."

Julie grinned, standing and turning her attention to the center of the gym as she watches her dad take the stage, microphone in hand.

It was almost laughable in a way how silent everyone in the gym became, as if everyone was hanging on his every word. Lord, but people took their football seriously.

"I wanna ask all of you only one question…" Eric drawled, looking around the crowded gym. "You ready for Friday night?"

With that simple statement, the gym erupted into a deafening cheer.

"Here are your 2008 Dillon Panthers." Eric said loudly, pointing toward the players as they began making their way into the gym.

Julie watched, smiling as she saw Matt and Tim leading the rest of the players into the gym and onto the stage.

Her gaze flittered over Matt briefly, but came to rest on Tim as he walked confidently to the stage, clapping his hands together.

He looked good in the blue and gold. The colors definitely suited him, as did the worn out jeans he was wearing.

Looking at him, it was easy to see why all the girls were crazy about him. He was gorgeous, no doubt about that.

And he exuded a confidence and almost boyish charm that had girls eating out of his hand. Julie even found herself getting caught up in that feeling from time to time.

When he would give her that slow, sexy grin, or when he would throw his arm around her shoulders and pull her close. She always got a little flutter in her stomach at those moments, no matter how hard she tried not to.

She had decided that her worrying about what would happen between them once school started was all for nothing. With the first week of school over with, nothing had changed.

They still talked almost daily, and Tim was still teasing her as usual. While she still wasn't crazy about the rally girls constantly hanging all over him, she knew it wasn't her place to do or say anything about that.

She had convinced herself that she was just feeling a little jealous because she had gotten used to having him pretty much all to herself over the summer. Most times she actually believed that.

Other times, she let her mind wander into dangerous territory, where she wondered if maybe she was jealous because her feelings toward Tim were becoming more than just friendly.

She took a deep breath as she watched him take his spot on stage. No sense in even thinking that way, she thought.

He was Tim Riggins. He could have any girl he wanted. And she was sure he didn't want her as anything more than a friend.

But as his eyes scanned the crowd, his gaze meeting Julie's, she found herself smiling brightly, giving him a small wave.

He grinned that slow, sexy grin, and Julie once again let her thoughts drift into that dangerous territory as she felt the flutter in her stomach begin.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Lonely No More

A/N: Ta-dum! A quick update for you ladies (quick for me anyways, lol). As always, thank you so, so much for the great reviews on the last chapter. The feedback really does motivate me to want to get the next update out ASAP! I'm _very_ interested to see what you ladies think of this chapter. So please let me know your thoughts. Enjoy :D

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The Panthers had a win. A big 'W' that they could mark down for their first game of the season.

Not only had they won, but they had pretty much desecrated the Tigers. Hell, even JD McCoy and the rest of the Panthers' second string had scored against them.

There wasn't a lot of stuff that Tim was good at other than football. No matter how dumb people thought he was, or how bad he always seemed to manage to screw things up – he always had football to fall back on.

But the struggles he had been facing trying to learn the new position at tailback had kept him feeling out of sorts lately. Almost like he was losing the one good, solid thing that he felt confident about.

But right now standing in the Panthers' locker room with excitement buzzing in the air, he was ecstatic.

After all the hard work – the grueling practices and the hours spent reading over the playbook – he had done a pretty damn good job at tailback, scoring three touchdowns and gaining a ton of yards on the field.

Coach had praised him for his performance, making Tim feel like he had truly done something great.

Billy had met him at the entrance to the locker room, pulling him into a hug and congratulating him on his numerous touchdowns and well-played game.

But his eyes had searched for the one person he was most wanting to see, but he hadn't been able to spot Julie anywhere in the crowd.

He knew without a doubt that she would be proud of him, excited that he had accomplished something that he had truly been worried about.

He owed a lot of his success to her. Without her help memorizing the plays and the overabundance of encouraging words throughout the past several weeks, Tim felt certain he wouldn't have made it.

He hoped that Julie was waiting around for him in the parking lot, and hadn't already left for the victory party.

He rushed putting his clothes on, haphazardly buttoning his plaid shirt over his damp chest before quickly slipping his boots on his feet.

It wasn't that he was hurrying because he just wanted to see her. It was almost more of a _need_.

He needed to see Julie Taylor.

He needed to see that sweet smile and the pride in her eyes.

He needed to feel like he had made a difference.

He needed to feel like he actually mattered to somebody.

Quickly grabbing his bag, he made his way toward the door, receiving several slaps on the back from his teammates along the way.

He exited the locker room and stepped out into the crowded parking lot, his eyes glancing around for a certain long-haired blonde.

"Tim!"

He turned, seeing Julie standing beside Coach's vehicle with a huge smile on her face, giving him a wave over the heads of others.

He quickly made his way toward her, stepping around several people who wanted to congratulate him.

He kept walking. He only had eyes for Julie. That was all the congratulating he wanted to hear.

Coming to a stop in front of her, he expected the huge smile and the words, but he didn't expect Julie throwing her arms around his waist and burying her head in his chest.

"You were awesome! Really, you were great. I am so proud of you." She said happily, her words muffled against his shirt.

Tim smiled, wrapping his long arms around her tightly and pulling her closer, taking the time to appreciate how good she felt in his arms, her small frame melding perfectly with his.

"Thanks." He stated quietly, dropping his face down against her hair, closing his eyes briefly as he breathed in the sweet scent of her.

He reluctantly pulled back after a few moments, not wanting to let her go. Not bothering to really stop and think about what that meant.

"You were like unstoppable out there." She said, a huge grin on her face as she removed her arms from around his waist, but remained standing close. "You got every single play right. Trust me, I know. I think I've memorized 'em all too helping you learn them."

"Thanks, Jules." Tim smiled. "For helping me out and all." He said, wanting to thank her for so much more, but not knowing how to put it all into words.

"Ah, you would have been fine without my help. But I'd be lying if I said I don't feel a little good about having a part in the Panthers annihilating the Tigers." She said with an almost devious grin.

Tim chuckled, taking a step back as he noticed Julie's parents walking toward their vehicle.

"Hey Coach. Mrs. Coach." Tim greeted.

"Hey, Tim. Great game tonight, hon." Tami said with a smile.

"Thanks, Mrs. Coach."

"It was a helluva game." Coach said, a grin on his face. "Well come on, Jules. We need to head over to Buddy's dealership for the victory party. Tim you need to be headin' that way as well, son."

"Uh dad, do you think I could ride to the party with Tim?" Julie asked, giving Tim a quick look to make sure that was okay.

Tim nodded slightly, letting her know that it was fine with him.

He'd take Julie anywhere.

Eric looked from his daughter, to Tim, to his daughter again, and then to his wife, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Alright." He drawled after a few seconds. "But you two are to go straight to the dealership. No moseying around town."

"Yes sir." Tim said quickly.

"Thanks, dad." Julie said with a smile. "We'll be right behind you guys I'm sure."

"Alright. See yah in a few." Eric said as he and Tami climbed into their vehicle and drove out of the parking lot.

"Let's go." Tim said, walking across the parking lot with Julie following. "Coach will probably be timing us or something."

Julie laughed. "Maybe not tonight. He's in a good mood because of the win." She said, looking at Tim curiously as he came to a stop beside an old, blue Firebird. "Where's your truck?"

"Me and Billy are changing out the carburetor. I'm using his car tonight, and he's catching a ride with Mindy." Tim said, motioning his head for her to get in.

He settled into the driver's seat, glancing over at Julie as she climbed in and closed her door, quickly putting on her seatbelt.

He started the car, easily maneuvering out of the parking lot and onto the road.

As he drove toward downtown Dillon, Tim was feeling pretty damn good. He knew that he probably had a goofy grin on his face, but he just couldn't help it.

He had a big win and hot girl by his side - a hot girl that he was beginning to care for very much. A hot girl that looked at him like she actually gave a damn, as opposed to just trying to get in his pants.

"You look weird." Julie stated, breaking the silence inside the car.

Tim glanced at Julie to find her staring at him with a smirk on her lips, looking like she was trying hard to hold back a laugh.

"That was abrupt." He drawled, causing her laughter to spill out, making him feel even happier.

God, he loved that sound.

"You know, Jules, that's really damaging to my self esteem." He said, trying to keep a straight face.

Julie snorted. "Tim you have absolutely no problems in the self esteem department, that's for sure." She said. "I meant that you look weird driving a car. You look good in your truck. It definitely suits you."

Tim smirked. "You think I look good?"

"Tim…" Julie sighed, rolling her eyes playfully. But Tim could see the slight blush creeping onto her cheeks.

Julie thought he looked good. That thought made him happier than it should have.

"Well, you said I looked good." He said playfully.

"In your truck." Julie replied. "You know, I think you get some kind of sick joy out of trying to embarrass me." She said, narrowing her eyes at him.

He shrugged, not denying the statement. He did like teasing her, to see the blush on her cheeks and the twinkle in her eye – usually the predecessors to a hard slap to his chest.

She had some strength in her, that was for sure. But the pain was worth it.

"So, Tyra told me that Billy and Mindy got engaged last night." Julie said, changing the subject.

"Yeah." Tim drawled, nodding slightly.

"Were you surprised?"

Tim shrugged. "Not really. Billy's been pretty happy, and they can't seem to keep their hands off of one another."

Julie laughed. "Yeah, Tyra said the same thing."

"It's true. And it don't matter where they are – the bar, the store – they're all over one another. Hell, they've probably done it right here in this car." Tim said with a smirk, knowing exactly what to say to get Julie stirred up.

"Eww! Tim, that's not funny." Julie said quickly.

"I'm not joking." He replied, grinning all the while. "Yeah, they probably had some hot sex in this car. Probably where you're sitting though, because the steering wheel would get in the way and stuff over here." He drawled, watching the panic come over her face.

"Gross! Tim, shut up." Julie laughed, reaching over to slap him on the arm. "Quit joking about that. That's just sick to think about."

Tim chuckled, enjoying teasing her. Hell, just enjoying being with her.

As he drove through town, passing through a green traffic light, he looked her way to tease her some more, but all words left his mind as he saw a truck running the red light and heading straight toward Julie's side of the car.

It happened much too fast for Tim to do more than press the gas pedal, trying to beat the oncoming vehicle, but he wasn't nearly fast enough.

The truck slammed into the passenger side of the car with a sickening thud, sending the car sliding across the intersection. Tim's head came into contact with the wheel, a sharp pain radiating through his head as the world became fuzzy and faded away for several seconds.

He groaned, feeling disoriented as he reached up to touch his aching head, feeling blood on his fingers. He slowly opened his eyes, hearing yelling in the distance, the realization of what had happened jolting him back to the present.

Julie.

He turned quickly, seeing her slumped over in the seat with her head turned at an odd angle, the seatbelt keeping her body in place.

"Julie. Jules, come on." He muttered, panic evident in his voice as he struggled to reach her.

Her side of the car was smashed in, having taken the greatest impact from the truck that ran the red light. And there were shards of glass everywhere, or so it seemed to Tim as he turned in his seat.

Part of him was afraid to touch her. He knew that if she had any kind of spinal injury or worse, he could do more damage than good, but he couldn't seem to stop himself.

He reached over, pushing her long blonde hair out of her face and gently pushing her back against the seat. Her eyes were closed, her long lashes resting unmoving against her pale cheeks.

"Jesus." Tim muttered, seeing blood on her face and arms. "Jules, come on. Wake up, Jules." He said, his voice getting louder as his hand touched her neck, trying to feel some sort of life coming from her still body.

Thank you God, he thought silently, feeling a pulse under the smooth skin of her neck.

He honestly didn't know what he would have done if he had felt nothing. But he couldn't think about that right now. He had to get her out of the car.

"Riggins?" Tim heard, turning to find assistant coach Mac leaning inside the car window, a few other men gathered around the outside of the car. "You alright son?"

"Yeah." Tim breathed, hardly any sound coming out of his mouth. "Yeah. I'm okay. But Jules…I've gotta get her out. She's hurt." He rambled, turning back to Julie.

"We called an ambulance, son." Mac stated. "I think I hear the sirens coming now. Is that Coach's daughter?"

Tim nodded. Oh God, Coach. Coach was going to kill him if anything happened to Julie. He had to get her out of the car and to the hospital, that was his only thought as he started to unbuckle her seatbelt.

"Riggins, come on. You need to get out of the car and let the paramedics get Julie out." Mac stated slowly, trying to break through Tim's haze.

Tim looked up. Sure enough, an ambulance was already on the scene, the flashing red lights blurring in his mind with the red blood covering Julie's body.

Everything seemed to happen quickly after that, with Tim feeling almost like he was watching it all happen from a distance, feeling detached from his own body.

He was pulled from the car, resisting at first. He had to get Julie out and make sure she was okay, but the rescue workers had assured him that they could handle it better without his interference.

He had stood beside the car on shaky legs, watching as they slowly removed Julie's body from the mangled vehicle.

God, had he ever noticed how small she was, how fragile looking?

"Sir, you need to come with us to the hospital." A paramedic said, taking Tim by the elbow and leading him toward the ambulance. "You obviously need stitches for that gash on your head, and you need to be checked for additional injuries."

Tim slowly followed the worker to the ambulance without arguing. The only reason he wasn't resisting was because going in the ambulance meant he got to stay with Julie.

And right now, Julie was all that mattered.

Tim turned, finding Mac standing a few feet behind him. "Coach…" Tim said hoarsely, unable to say more.

"I'll call Coach Taylor, son. I'll explain everything." Mac said quickly, placing a reassuring hand on Tim's shoulder. "I'll get a hold of Billy, too. Don't you worry."

Tim nodded slowly, turning and climbing into the back of the ambulance with help from a worker. He took a seat on the bench beside Julie as she laid on a stretcher, her eyes still closed.

He felt utterly helpless as he watched the paramedics poke and prod her small body, talking about things that he didn't understand. All he knew was that Julie had a good deal of blood on her, and that she had yet to open her eyes.

He was no doctor, but that couldn't be a good sign.

As the door shut and the ambulance began its journey to the hospital, Tim dropped his head and did something that he wasn't very good at.

Something he hadn't done in long, long time. Something he hadn't done since Jason had gotten hurt.

Tim prayed.

He prayed to God that Julie was going to be okay.

She _had_ to be.

Because He didn't know what he'd do without her.


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Lonely No More

A/N: I received so much feedback on the last chapter, and I am so appreciative to all you ladies! Maybe I need to have more 'disruptions' for these two if it means I get that many reviews, lol :D Well, here's the much awaited next chapter. This one was tough to write for some reason, but I hope that you all will enjoy it nonetheless. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Hope you ladies have a great weekend!!! Enjoy :D

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Tim hated hospitals.

The smells. The sounds. The waiting.

He hated it all.

He sighed as he rested his elbows on his knees, dropping his head down as he sat in the hospital waiting room, nervously awaiting news on Julie.

After arriving at the hospital, they had been separated. He had last seen her being rolled through a set of double doors, still unmoving as he had been taken into a room and checked for injuries of his own.

Tim had received several stitches due to the cut on his forehead near his hairline, as well as having several other small cuts and scrapes. He also had a minor concussion thanks to the bump to the head, but no major injuries. He was pretty sure he had gotten worse injuries playing football before than he had in the accident.

Now as he sat alone in the waiting room, he couldn't get rid of the sick feeling in his gut.

He kept replaying the accident over and over again in his head. The smile on Julie's face and the laughter in her eyes, quickly disappearing as the truck plowed into the car, sending glass raining in on Julie's shocked face before everything went black.

Things had happened so quickly. One minute they were laughing and joking about Billy and Mindy, and the next Tim's world literally came crashing in around him.

There had been so much blood covering her silky skin. The amount of blood had scared him. Tim had even overheard the paramedics discussing the loss of blood on their way to the hospital.

And he still hadn't heard anything from anyone about how she was doing. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but he couldn't keep his mind from expecting the worst.

Seeing her lying on that stretcher, unmoving and pale, had made Tim literally feel like he had taken a hard blow to the gut.

He felt like he couldn't breathe, and it hurt.

It hurt bad.

When had Julie become so important to him?

When had she become so important that the thought of losing her made him both angry enough to hurt someone, and sad enough to cry all at the same time?

Tim couldn't pinpoint an exact moment, or an exact time. But somewhere over the past several weeks, Julie Taylor had wormed her way into his life and he was now realizing just how much he liked having her there.

She was his friend, but it was more than that.

She listened to him. She understood him.

She got him. She really _got_ him.

That was something that never happened.

And now, as he sat waiting, he was left wondering if that something special was going to be gone before he ever really got a chance to truly appreciate it.

"Please God…" He muttered softly, sitting up and running his fingers through his hair, as he hears the waiting room door opening.

"Tim!"

Tim looked up to find Eric and Tami entering the room, both heading toward him.

Mrs. Coach looked worried, and Tim could see that she had obviously been crying.

Coach had that wild-eyed look that he often got out on the field when he was stressed or angry. Tim hoped to God the look was due more to stress because of Julie being hurt than because of anger toward him.

"Coach." Tim said softly, standing from his seat as they reached his side.

"Tim, honey, are you okay?" Tami asked, concern washing over her face as she pushed his hair back from his face to better see the large bandage on his forehead.

"Yeah." Tim drawled softly. "Just got a few stitches and a little concussion." He mumbled, avoiding making eye contact with Coach, not wanting to see the disappointment in his eyes.

"Are you sure that's all?" Tami asked, a worried look on her face.

Tim nodded, finally lifting his head and meeting Coach's gaze.

"I'm sorry, Coach." He said, swallowing nervously.

"For what?" Coach asked, his jaw clenched tightly.

"Julie." Tim said softly, shaking his head like he didn't know what else to say. "For her gettin' hurt."

Eric stood quietly for several seconds, looking closely at Tim.

"Mac told me that somebody else ran the red light and hit you and Julie, not the other way around." Eric stated after a few moments.

Tim nodded slightly. "Yeah, but…"

"And he said that you were doing your damnedest to get her out of the car, trying to make sure she was okay." Eric said, placing a hand on Tim's shoulder.

"I, I wasn't drinking." Tim said worriedly.

"Well honey, we know that. Y'all had just left the game." Tami said quickly, a knowing look passing between her and her husband.

"Son, this is not your fault. Accident's happen." Eric stated, looking Tim in the eye.

Tim nodded slowly, dropping his head slightly. Eric squeezed his shoulder firmly, causing Tim to once again meet his gaze.

"I mean it. This is not your fault." Eric said slowly, emphasizing each word, trying to make Tim believe the words.

Tim nodded as he felt his eyes tearing up. "She wouldn't open her eyes." He whispered, his voice faltering. "And I ain't heard anything else. I don't know what's goin' on."

"Well we stopped by the nurses desk before coming in here, and all they would tell us is that they're running some tests." Tami said slowly. "And that the doctor would be in to speak with us soon."

"And that's been over fifteen damn minutes." Eric said, running his hands through his wild hair. "He better hurry the hell up." He muttered, the worry and frustration apparent on his face.

"I'm sure she's fine, hon." Tami responded, sliding her arm supportively around Eric's waist. "They're probably just running a few more tests to be cautious."

Tim couldn't help but think that Mrs. Coach sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

Tim wasn't so sure. They hadn't seen Julie the way he had. He didn't want to tell them that though.

"Mr. and Mrs. Taylor?"

Tim turned toward the door, watching as a young man entered the room, a chart in his hand.

"Yes, that's us." Eric said quickly, sliding his arm around Tami's shoulders.

"Hi. I'm Dr. Bartlett." The man said, shaking their hands.

Doctor? This guy didn't look old enough to be out of college, Tim thought to himself. Julie needed a real doctor, someone older who knew what the hell they were doin'.

"How is she?" Tami asked nervously, receiving a squeeze from Eric.

"I feel pretty confident that your daughter is going to be fine. She has lost a lot of blood, due to several lacerations, a few major ones on her leg and abdomen. I was worried that there may have been some internal bleeding, but luckily that is not the case." The doctor explained.

That's good, Tim thought to himself. Or at least he thought that was good from what he could tell from Eric and Tami's sighs of relief.

"X-rays show no broken bones which is a miracle if you ask me, though her ribs are bruised pretty badly. She does have a severe concussion due to some head trauma during the course of the accident. We're keeping a close watch on more severe swelling that may occur from that trauma."

"Has she opened her eyes?" Tim asked, his voice so quiet that he almost didn't hear himself speak.

The others turned toward Tim, and the doctor gave Tami and Eric a funny look. Almost as if to ask 'who's this guy?'

"Yes, has she opened her eyes?" Eric asked, nodding his head as he too wanted to know the answer to that question.

"She has." The doctor answered, giving all of them a smile. "Of course due to the pain she is in, and the pain medication, she has been in and out of consciousness. But yes, she has opened her eyes.

Tim sighed, dropping his head to look down at the floor. He didn't know why, but hearing that she had opened her eyes made him feel worlds better. Almost like that reassured him that she was going to be okay.

"Can, can we see her?" Tami asked.

The doctor nodded. "Yes. When I came down they were in the process of moving her to a private room in the Intensive Care Unit. I would like to keep her here for at least 24 hours for observation, possibly more depending on the swelling around the skull."

Tami and Eric nodded, holding on to one another tightly.

"Well, if you two want to follow me, I'll lead you to your daughter's room. Only two visitors allowed at a time in those rooms."

Eric nodded, turning back toward Tim. "Son, why don't you go on home? You've been through a lot tonight and probably need rest yourself."

"No sir." Tim muttered, shaking his head slightly. "I want to stay."

I _need_ to stay, he thought to himself.

Eric nodded, clenching his jaw as he gave Tim's shoulder a squeeze. "Alright. We'll see you in a bit."

Tim watched as the three of them walked out of the room before resuming his spot in the uncomfortable waiting room chair.

He felt better, but knew he wouldn't be okay until he saw her with his own eyes.

Tim turned as he heard the door opening once again, happy to see Billy rushing into the room.

"Tim!" Billy said loudly, taking a few large steps and engulfing Tim in a huge hug. "Damn it, Tim. I've been lookin' all over for you. Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Tim sighed. He'd probably never admit it, but it felt good to have Billy there to lean on after all he had been through.

"Yeah, I'm alright." Tim responded, pulling back away from Billy. "Just banged up a little. Got a concussion."

Billy nodded, glancing at the bandage on Tim's head. "I'm sorry it took so long. It took Mac a while to track me down because I was at Mindy's. But I got here as quick as I could."

Tim nodded slowly, sitting back down in his chair as Billy took the seat beside him.

"How's Julie?" Billy asked.

Tim told Billy what the doctor had said, trying to remember all the important stuff.

"Sorry 'bout your car." Tim mumbled.

"Hell Tim, I don't care about the damn car. I'm just glad you're okay." Billy said quickly, giving Tim's shoulder a squeeze. "Now tell me what happened."

Tim told Billy about the accident, once again feeling sick as he shared the details with his brother.

Time passed slowly as they sat in the waiting room, and after over an hour of not hearing from Coach, Tim was beginning to get antsy.

Just when he had made up his mind to go ask about her at the nurses desk, Coach walked into the waiting room and asked for Tim to come with him.

Tim followed closely behind him as they made their way down the long hospital hall. Tim shuddered at the smells and noises, once again remembering why he hated the damn hospital.

"Here we are." Eric said quietly, coming to a stop outside a hospital room door. "Only two allowed at a time, so I'm gonna let you go in there with Tami for a bit."

Tim nodded slightly, taking a deep breath but not moving to go inside the room.

"She's okay, son." Eric said. "She's just banged up pretty bad, but she's okay. She's mumbled your name a couple of times, so I know she's wantin' to see you. Probably worried about you."

She's worried about me? _She's_ worried about _me_?

That was almost laughable.

He had a cut on his head and a few scrapes and bruises. She was the one lying in a hospital bed.

But damn it, it did make him feel an ache in his chest to know that despite everything, she had been asking for him.

Not for her parents, or Saracen, or Lois.

But for him.

Tim Riggins.

"Go on." Eric demanded, opening the door for Tim and all but pushing him inside.

Tim walked slowly into the room, giving Tami a slight nod as he saw her sitting on the other side of the hospital bed, a chair pulled close to Julie's side.

He made his way toward the bed, coming to a stop as he looked her over slowly, a sick feeling washing over him as he sees her injuries.

She looked horrible, bruises and cuts on her face and arms. And she was so pale, her skin looking almost translucent.

Fragile. That was the best word Tim could think to describe her as he reached out and gently took her small hand in his, giving it a squeeze.

He watched as her eyelids fluttered.

He squeezed her hand again, and this time was rewarded with her eyes opening slowly.

Tim was certain that he had never felt more relieved in his whole life than right now as he looked into Julie's eyes.

There had been so many times tonight that he was sure that he would never be able to do that again.

"Jules." He said softly, running his thumb lightly over her knuckles, unsure of what else to say and not trusting his voice to crack with emotion.

"Tim." She said so softly that Tim almost couldn't hear her, as she gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand gently before closing her eyes once again.

Tim sighed as he felt his eyes tearing up yet again.

She was going to be alright.

He knew it.

She had said his name.

But more importantly, he had finally seen her open her eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Lonely No More

A/N: Ah, back to the work week. I don't know about you ladies, but my weekends go by extremely too fast :D Lots of love for all the great reviews on the last chapter. Hopefully you ladies will enjoy this one as well. As usual, let me know your thoughts. Enjoy :D

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Julie blinked back tears as she laid on her bed, staring at her bedroom ceiling late Thursday afternoon.

She had been released from the hospital Sunday morning much to her relief, with strict orders to get lots of rest and give her body plenty of time to heal.

She had been excused from school all week, but had been trying to keep up with her classes from the textbooks and assignments that her mother had brought home.

Julie had pretty much slept for the first couple of days after returning home, not having the energy and much too sore to do anything else.

But she was starting to feel and look better. Her body still felt achy, but the bruises and cuts were beginning to fade away. And the large cuts on her right leg and on her side were healing nicely, even though the stitches itched like hell.

Her headache came and went, something that the doctor said was normal from the concussion that she had suffered.

Right now, her head was hurting something fierce. Though she felt pretty sure that it was mostly due to the crying she had done for the past few hours.

Crying over Tim Riggins.

Pathetic, she thought to herself.

Julie was sure that half the female population of Dillon had shed tears over him – whether from a broken heart or not having the chance to be with him.

She never thought she would be one of those girls.

But here she was – lying in bed, crying because she missed him, and confused as hell as to what was going on.

So many people had come to visit her at the hospital and at home. Her room was full of flowers and balloons from people wishing her well.

Tyra and Lois had been by several times to visit, and Landry had dropped by as well. Even Matt had made an appearance, bringing her a small teddy bear.

But no Tim.

She hadn't seen or heard from him since the night of the accident. Her parents had told her that he had suffered a mild concussion and a few scrapes and bruises, but that he had pretty much walked away unscathed, as had the preoccupied driver of the truck that hit them.

Her parents had also told her that besides them, Tim was the first person to see her in the hospital, though she didn't remember it.

It was all a blur in her mind – images of doctors and nurses, of her mom and dad, and faintly of Tim – all blurred together in a hazy collage that Julie would probably never be able to sort out.

Her mom had told her that Tim had stayed at the hospital all night, taking turns with her parents sitting with her for periods of time.

He hadn't left the hospital until Saturday morning when Billy had literally dragged him out, finally convincing him that he needed to go home and get some rest for his own injuries.

And she nor her parents had seen him since. He hadn't been by to visit or to check on her, and her parents said that he hadn't even been to school or practice all week.

She was worried about him. She knew that Tim had a tendency to take the blame for things that weren't all his doing.

She had no doubt that he had probably concocted some distorted view of the accident in that pretty head of his, and that he felt that it was all his fault.

But probably more than anything else, she missed him.

She'd been through this whole ordeal and had been surrounded by tons of people caring for her, and wishing her well, but she had felt a sense of loneliness throughout.

She had thought she was lonely back during the summer, when Lois and Tyra had pretty much abandoned her. But now she knew what lonely really was.

Lonely was not having that one person you cared about the most.

And she did care about him.

A lot.

Probably way more than she should considering the current circumstances.

But not having him around had been hard, and it had almost felt like a piece of her was missing.

That was enough to finally force herself to admit that she liked Tim Riggins as more than a friend.

She liked him.

_Really_ liked him.

And that was scary as hell.

He had become such a good friend, and she didn't want her deeper feelings to mess that up.

But she also knew that she wasn't very good at hiding her feelings. Tim had even told her once before that he could read her like a book, that her emotions showed clearly on her face.

Not that she probably had anything to worry about. From the looks of it, Tim was intent on ignoring her and acting like she didn't exist.

"Damn him." She muttered to herself, feeling her eyes tearing up once again.

"Jules." Tami said softly, opening her door and sticking her head inside. "You ready for dinner?"

"Yeah, in a few minutes." Julie responded, wiping her eyes off with the sleeve of her shirt.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Tami asked, stepping into the room and sitting gently on the bed beside Julie.

Julie shook her head slightly, continuing to wipe the tears off of her face.

"Is it Tim?" Tami asked after a few seconds.

Julie snorted. "God, is it that obvious?" Julie said a little sarcastically, thinking that Tim had been right about people being able to read her so easily.

Tami smiled, pushing Julie's hair behind her ear. "Yeah honey, it kind of is. But I'm your mother. I'm supposed to know these things."

"I just don't understand why he hasn't been by to see me. Or at least called or something."

"Honey, nobody understands why men do the things they do. They don't even understand half the time." Tami smiled. "I'm sure Tim has his reasons, whether they're right or not."

Julie sniffled. "I know. But I miss him."

Tami nodded, looking at her daughter thoughtfully. "You miss him because he's your friend."

Julie nodded slowly, glancing down at the bed.

"Because he's your friend…and because you care about him as maybe more than a friend." Tami said slowly, more of a statement than a question.

Julie sighed, looking back up to meet her mom's gaze. "Yeah, I think so."

Tami looked at her daughter for several seconds. "You guys will work this out, Jules. I saw how worried he was about you at the hospital. He cares about you too."

"He's sure not showin' it now."

"Don't give up on him, hon. He'll come around." Tami said, giving Julie's shoulder a squeeze.

"Did dad say if he was at practice today or not?"

"Your dad said he didn't show up again today." Tami said with a sigh. "He's gonna call over to his house later and tell Tim, or Billy, that if Tim doesn't show up to school tomorrow that he's not playin' in tomorrow night's game."

"That's good. Maybe dad can talk some sense into him." Julie said with a small smile.

"Yeah, your dad can bribe him with football." Tami nodded, a smile on her face. "Come on. Let's go eat dinner. It'll make you feel better."

Julie rolled out of bed, following her mother slowly out the room, thoughts of Tim still clouding her mind.

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"Riggins!"

Shit, Tim thought to himself, hearing Jason yelling for him outside his front door.

Tim wasn't in the mood to get a lecture. He just wanted to lie on his couch, drink his beer, and stare at the television.

He didn't want to think about anything, or anyone.

Particularly Julie Taylor.

"Tim, I know you hear me!" Jason yelled again, his voice louder this time.

Tim sighed, rolling off the couch and slowly ambling to the door. Tim pulled open the door, running his hand over his bare chest as he looked down at Jason.

"Six." He drawled.

"About damn time." Jason said, looking Tim over. "You look like hell. Have you showered in the past few days?"

"Nice to see you too, Jay." Tim said, sarcasm lacing his words.

Jason grinned. "Help me inside, Timmy. We need to talk."

Tim sighed. So much for his plan of doing absolutely nothing and thinking of absolutely nothing.

Tim helped maneuver Jason inside the house, closing the door behind them before heading to the kitchen for another beer.

Tim grabbed two bottles, popping the tops and handing one to Jason before resuming his spot on the couch.

"How are yah, man?" Jason asked as he watched Tim take a long drink from his bottle.

"Alright." Tim drawled. "You?"

"I'm good."

"How's the kid?" Tim asked.

"Noah's good. Great actually. He'll be a month old tomorrow." Jason said, a proud smile on his face.

Tim nodded. It was still kind of weird to think that his best friend had a kid.

"It's stressful though, trying to provide for him and Erin. I'm not exactly bringing in the big bucks by working down at Garrity Motors."

Tim nodded again, not sure what to say to that.

"But I didn't come over here to bitch about my life." Jason said after a few moments. "Word on the street is that you haven't been at school all week. And that you've skipped practice."

Tim shrugged. "Got a concussion."

"Come on, Timmy." Jason said with a small laugh. "You've had concussions before. You needed to take it easy for 48 hours tops. So, don't use that excuse on me. I know you too well."

Tim didn't respond. What could he say?

That he'd been depressed?

That he'd been wallowing in his own self pity?

Because that was pretty much all he had done. He had replayed the accident in his head over and over, playing the 'what if' game over and over as well.

What if Julie had just ridden to the party with her parents?

What if he had been in his truck instead of Billy's car?

What if Julie had never befriended him at all?

And the answer to each question was the same – she probably wouldn't have gotten hurt.

Tim's motto was 'No Regrets', but he was finding that where Julie was concerned, he had a few.

"This is about more than a concussion." Jason stated, giving Tim a knowing look. "Is it about Julie?"

Tim shook his head slightly, taking another long drink from his bottle. Damn it, he really didn't want to talk about this right now.

"Have you been to see her?" Jason asked, refusing to let Tim off the hook.

"No." Tim drawled.

"Why not?"

"I don't like hospitals."

"Yeah, I know." Jason snickered. "But she's been home all week. You could have gone over to Coach's house and seen her there."

Tim was silent. He didn't have an excuse for not visiting her at home. All he had were his reasons that would undoubtedly sound stupid to Jason.

"You know what I think it is?" Jason asked, not bothering to wait on an answer. "You're blaming yourself for the accident. Probably thinking that you could have somehow prevented it. Am I right?"

Tim shrugged, looking anywhere but at Jason.

"I know first hand how you like to take the blame and feel responsible for things that aren't your fault, Tim. But nothing you did or could have done would have changed anything."

"It's easy to say that." Tim muttered. "But it don't feel that way."

"Well, I know that Julie doesn't blame you for anything. And if she's mad or upset, it's probably because you've been a shitty friend by not going to visit her." Jason said matter of fact.

"She deserves better than friends like me." Tim said softly, finishing off his bottle of beer.

Jason looked closely at his friend, watching the myriad of emotions passing over his face as he spoke of Julie.

"You like her." Jason said, surprise in his voice.

"Yeah Street, I usually like people I'm friends with." Tim stated, an edge to his voice.

Jason laughed. "No. You _like_ her, like her. That's what's got you all in knots."

Tim shook his head slightly. He wasn't willing to admit to Jason something that he hadn't yet admitted to himself.

Yes, he cared about Julie and he had been worried sick that he was going to lose her.

And she was different than any other girl he'd ever known, and she treated him differently than any girl he'd ever known.

And she was hot. From her long blonde hair to her little pink-painted toenails. He had always been aware of her physical beauty, but getting to know her had shown him her inner beauty as well.

Julie was just _good_. That was the only word he could think of to describe her.

There was almost an innocence to Julie that made Tim feel like a better person just by being around her.

But it was one thing for them to friends, and another for him to think that she would actually want to be with him.

"I should have seen this coming, with the way you kept talking about her and how much you guys were hanging out." Jason said, a smile on his face.

Jason apparently thought that him liking Julie was a good thing from the bright smile on his face.

"Tim!" Billy called, stepping out of his bedroom and into the living room area. "Oh, hey Jason."

"Billy." Jason greeted.

"Tim, I just got off the phone with Coach Taylor. He said that if you don't show up to school tomorrow, you won't be playin' in tomorrow night's game." Billy said, giving Tim a serious look.

Tim sighed, leaning his head back against the couch.

"Tim, did you hear me?" Billy asked quickly.

"Yeah, Billy. I heard you." Tim drawled.

He heard, he just didn't _want_ to hear it.

"So tomorrow morning, you better get your ass up and get to school. No more recuperating and pining after Julie Taylor." Billy said seriously, throwing the phone on the couch before heading back into his bedroom.

"Billy's right, Tim." Jason said after few seconds of silence. "Go to school tomorrow. Don't mess up football. And don't mess up what you've got with Julie because of your screwed up sense of responsibility."

Tim nodded his head slightly, running his fingers through his long hair as he sighed deeply.

He heard what Jason was saying, and he knew he'd go to school so he could play in the game. But he wasn't so sure about the rest.

He just couldn't help but feel that Julie would probably be better off without him.

Even though just the thought of him being without her was enough to send him to the kitchen in search of another bottle of beer.


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Lonely No More

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter. I think it's pretty much a consensus that somebody needs to knock some sense into Tim despite all his issues :D I second that notion, lol. Hope you ladies enjoy this chapter. Let me know your thoughts! Enjoy :D

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By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around and Julie still hadn't seen or heard from Tim, she was pissed.

Her loneliness and hurt feelings had festered throughout the week, leading to anger and frustration at Tim for pretty much abandoning her.

Julie had come to the conclusion that if Tim wasn't going to come to her, she would just have to go to him.

"Hey mom, can I borrow your car for a little while." She asked, approaching her parents as they sat beside one another on the living room couch.

"Sure, honey." Tami replied. "Where are you goin'?"

"Um, I'm gonna ride over to Tim's." Julie said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Tim Riggins?" Eric asked, turning his attention away from the television and focusing on his daughter.

"Yes, dad. That is the only Tim that any of us know." Julie responded sarcastically.

"Hon, are you sure that's a good idea?" Tami asked hesitantly.

Julie shrugged. "I don't know if it's a good idea or not, but I haven't seen him in over a week and I'm tired of wondering what's goin' on in that head of his."

"I don't know if you need to know what's goin' on inside his head." Eric muttered under his breath, earning him a pinch from his wife.

"Well hon, I think it's pretty obvious that he's blamin' himself." Tami stated, sounding more like a counselor than a mother.

"Well, I'm just gonna go over there and tell him that's not the case." Julie said quickly. "If he thinks he can get rid of me this easily, then he's mistaken."

Tami smiled. "You're right. Go and try to talk some sense into the boy."

"Thanks." Julie said, giving her parents a small smile. "I'll be back later." She said as she grabbed the keys from the counter and made her way out the front door.

"Was that a good idea?" Eric asked after Julie had left.

"What?"

"Encouraging her to go over there and talk to Riggins." He said, tilting his head thoughtfully.

"Honey, in case you haven't noticed, our daughter and Tim Riggins have gotten very close with one another." Tami said, resting her hand on Eric's chest as she looked him in the eye.

"I know this." Eric said simply.

"Well, she's been miserable all week long because he hasn't been around." Tami said, patting his chest lightly. "So, she needs to go over there and work out whatever's going on between them."

Eric frowned, running his hand through his hair. "Well, I don't have to be happy about it."

"No you don't." Tami grinned. "But like it or not, our daughter's involved with Tim. That's just something we're both gonna have to get used to." She said, leaning forward to drop a kiss on his lips.

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Julie pulled up in front of Tim's house, bringing the car to a stop.

She didn't see his truck parked out front, and groaned inwardly as she realized he may not be at home.

She hoped to God that he was. She had gotten herself all psyched up on the ride over, thinking of all the things she wanted to tell Tim as she gave him a piece of her mind.

Maybe Billy's borrowing it or something, she thought to herself as she made her way toward the front door.

She knocked on the door, taking a step back.

After several seconds she knocked on the door again, jumping back in surprise as the door opened quickly, revealing a hungover Billy Riggins.

"Uh, hey Billy." Julie stammered, taking in his disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes.

"Hey, Julie." Billy said, a genuine smile on his face as he tried unsuccessfully to comb his hair down with his hand. "How are yah?"

"I'm fine." Julie said, trying not to laugh as she noticed that his shirt was pulled on inside out and buttoned wrong.

"You recoverin' alright?"

"Yeah. I'm feeling better. Finally goin' back to school tomorrow." She replied.

"That's good, that's good." Billy said, nodding his head.

"Um, is Tim here?" She asked hopefully.

"Nah, he's not." Billy replied, shaking his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. "He's down at the cliffs."

"Down past the old quarry?"

"Yeah, off of highway 20 back there." Billy said. "You should ride out there and see him."

Julie nodded. "Yeah, I think I will."

Billy nodded too, sighing as he looked at Julie. "He's a good kid, Julie. He's just a real dumbass sometimes when it comes to stuff like this. And hell, he needs friends like you in his life, so I hope you won't let his stupidity mess that up."

"Thanks, Billy." Julie said softly.

Billy was right. Tim was a good guy, despite his stupid reasoning.

"Well, um, I guess I'll go then." She said, taking a few steps back.

"Alright. You take care, Julie. Go easy on him." Billy said with a Riggins' grin, looking very much like his younger brother in that moment.

Julie laughed. "I'll try." She replied. "Sorry about your car by the way."

Billy shrugged. "It's just a car. I'm just glad you and Tim were alright."

Julie nodded. "Okay, well, see yah Billy."

"Bye, Julie." He said, watching as she made her way to her car.

Julie climbed in, giving him a small wave before starting the car and pulling away from the house, headed out to the cliffs.

As she drove through town, she kept thinking of what Billy had said about Tim needing friends like her.

While that was true, Julie needed Tim too.

They were good for each other, that was all there was to it.

As she finally arrived at the cliffs, she spotted Tim's truck parked on the side of the road, and pulled her mom's car in behind him.

She had never been out to the cliffs before, but knew that this was where Tim had said that he spent most of his alone time.

Well, his alone time's about to come to an end, she thought as she stepped out of her car and began walking up the slope toward the sound of something she couldn't identify, the sound resembling crunching metal.

Julie topped the small slope, and her eyes came to rest on Tim as he stood on the edge of the cliff, hitting what looked to be empty beer cans with a golf club.

She didn't know whether to laugh or to cry at the sight.

She wanted to laugh because beer golf was so something that Tim would do.

She wanted to cry because she hadn't seen him in over a week, and just the sight of him sent a flood of emotions through her body.

But she did neither of those things as she slowly made her way toward him, watching as he chugged a can of beer in about three gulps.

"Hey Tim." She said softly, watching the tension fill his body as he heard her voice and turned slowly to face her.

They stood there staring at each other for several moments, both drinking each other in as if just seeing one another was like quenching a thirst.

Julie thought he looked tired, with rings underneath his eyes and no smile gracing his full lips. The usual spark in his eyes was missing too, or maybe he was just drunk.

But even tired-looking, he was still gorgeous with his hair hanging in his eyes and an almost wounded expression on his face.

"What are you doin' out here, Jules?" Tim finally asked, his voice low.

Julie shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest in an unconscious defensive motion. "I got tired of waiting on you to come see me. So, here I am."

Tim took a long drink from the can in his hand, finishing off the beer before sitting it on the ground.

"I've been busy." He muttered before pulling the golf club back and taking a swing at the can, sending it flying far out into the canyon.

"Yeah, you look real busy." Julie said, a bite to her words.

Tim didn't say anything as he grabbed another beer, popping the top and taking another long drink, his eyes meeting hers over the can.

"Tim, don't do this." Julie stated quietly, taking a step closer to him.

"Do what?"

"This!" Julie exclaimed, holding her arms out toward the mess he was in. "I know that you've probably some how convinced yourself that all this was your fault, but it's not. It was an accident Tim. There's nothing that you could have done any differently."

Tim shook his head slightly, his hair falling in his face. "You don't know what you're talkin' about."

"Oh, I don't? Well, if that's not it then what is it?" Julie asked. "Did you just up and decide that you no longer want to be my friend? Because correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that's what we were. Though I've gotta tell you Tim, most friends don't pull the shit you've pulled this week." She ended in anger.

Tim sighed, refusing to look at her, only fuelling Julie's anger by not responding to her at all.

"A real friend would have been there for me." She said, taking another step closer, bringing her toe to toe with him. "I needed you this week, Tim. I needed you, and you weren't there." She said, trying to keep the tears threatening to fall at bay as she poked him in the chest with her finger.

"Jules, I…" He muttered, taking a small step back.

"No! I don't want to hear your excuses, Tim. I know you've got your trust issues and that for all your cockiness that you show the world, you've got a distorted sense of self worth, but damn it, you could have at least picked up the phone and called to ask how I was doin'." She said heatedly, biting her lip so hard that she felt sure she was going to leave a bruise.

She didn't know what else to say.

She was so angry at him that she wanted to smack him in the head.

But at the same time, she knew that in some way Tim felt like he was doing the right thing, and that just made her feel an ache in her chest.

"Say something." She said softly, wanting him to say something – anything. "Damn it, Tim. Say something." She repeated louder, poking him in the chest once again.

"What do you want me to say, Julie?" He yelled, surprising her as he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her slightly. "Huh? Do you want me to say that I'm sorry? Is that it? Well, I'm sorry, okay."

Julie felt tears coming to her eyes, shaking her head slowly at Tim as he looked down at her, his fingers digging into her shoulders.

"No? Do you want me to say that I'm a shitty friend? That you could do better than me? Because you can. You can do a hell of a lot better than me." Tim said heatedly. "You deserve better." He finished, his voice growing more solemn.

"Tim, don't say that." Julie said quickly, placing her hand on his chest. "I think I'm smart enough to choose my own friends, and know what's best for me."

Tim sighed, dropping his hands from her shoulders and trying to take a step back. Julie reached out, fisting his shirt in her hands, quickly stopping his movements.

"Tim, please." She said, her tears finally escaping as they began to run slowly down her cheeks. "I don't know what to say or how to explain it to you, or to anyone, but I need you. I had tons of people in and out all week visiting me and you were the only one that I wanted to see."

There. She said it. She had pretty much bared her soul, telling him the honest truth.

She watched as emotions flittered over his handsome face, and she could tell that he was battling with himself over what to do.

Julie pulled her bottom lip between her teeth nervously, watching as his gaze dropped to her lips before returning to her eyes.

"Please." She whispered, not sure exactly what she was asking for.

"Ah, Jules." Tim sighed, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her head against his chest, dropping his head down on top of hers.

Julie couldn't help it as she began to cry harder, holding onto him tightly as her tears soaked into the soft shirt stretched over his hard chest.

"Don't cry, Jules." He crooned, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm sorry. For the wreck, and you gettin' hurt. And for bein' a dumbass and leaving you alone." He muttered.

"It's okay." She mumbled into his shirt, enjoying the feel of having Tim's arms around her, his strong hands rubbing up and down her back.

"I wanted to come see you. So bad." He said softly, pulling her gently away from him to look down into her eyes. "I just…couldn't."

Julie held her breath as Tim gently brushed the tears off of her cheeks, before cupping her face in his hands.

"I missed you." He said softly, his voice gruff with emotion.

"I missed you, too." Julie replied with a small smile.

"Forgive me?" He asked after a few moments, a small smirk forming on his lips.

Julie narrowed her eyes slightly, pretending to think about his question for several seconds. "I guess." She said finally, giggling softly as he growled playfully and pulled her into his arms yet again.

She sighed as she rested her head on Tim's chest, feeling his arms wrap around her tightly once again.

After everything that had happened – the worrying, the loneliness, the anger – she was finally with Tim.

And that was right where she needed to be.


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Lonely No More

A/N: Another quick update for you ladies! Work's been slow this week, so I've had some time on my hands to write - which rarely happens! So, hope you ladies enjoy this chapter. I've got the next one almost finished as well. So, let me know your thoughts on this one and I'll post the next one soon. Yes, I have resorted to bribery, lol :D Oh, and of course, thanks for all the great feedback on the last chapter! Enjoy :D

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"Vote for Tyra! Vote for Tyra!" Julie called loudly, walking down the halls of Dillon High, passing out flyers to students as she passed by them.

It was her second day back at school since the accident, and she was getting just a little tired of all the long glances and the rumors flying around.

People were curious about her and Tim, wondering why they had been together when the accident happened.

Were they dating? Were they sneaking around behind Coach Taylor's back?

No and no, Julie thought to herself. She and Tim were just friends, regardless of how bad she had begun to hope for something more.

"Hey, Jules." Tyra said, appearing beside her unexpectedly, a scowl on her face.

"Hey! I thought you were going to pass out flyers in the cafeteria." Julie said, blowing her bangs out of her eyes as she looked at her friend.

"I sent Landry instead." Tyra shrugged. "Come on, let's go sit outside. We've got a few more minutes before the lunch bell rings."

Julie nodded, falling in step beside Tyra as the two headed outside to the courtyard, plopping down on a bench in a semi-shady area.

"God, I'm already sick of this campaigning crap." Tyra grumbled. "Jenny Warwick was passing out free cookies in the lunchroom. Cookies, Julie." She said with disgust.

Julie smirked. "Well, we can bake some cookies if you want. Or brownies or something."

"Hell no." Tyra said quickly. "I don't need any damn cookies to win this race. I'll think of something else."

"You're gonna do fine, Tyra. There's a lot of people in this school that would rather vote for you than a goody-two shoes like Jenny Warwick." Julie said encouragingly.

"I hope so." Tyra said slowly, stretching her long legs out in front of her, looking over at Julie closely. "You alright?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I don't know. You look a little tired." Tyra drawled. "You think you came back to school too soon after the accident?"

"That's definitely not the case." Julie said, shaking her head. "I mean, I missed a whole week of school. And I'm fine, maybe a little tired, but I'm okay."

Tyra nodded slowly. "Hopefully not too tired to come over later and help me make more posters?" She asked playfully.

"Well, um, I've kind of got plans later." Julie stated, picking at a fake piece of lint on her jeans, not meeting Tyra's gaze.

"Plans." Tyra said slowly. "With who?"

"Um, just Tim."

Tyra sighed heavily. "Julie, I really don't think that's a good idea."

"He's coming over to the house so I can help him with an English paper, Tyra. I mean, it's not like we're goin' out for a wild night of debauchery or anything." Julie said sarcastically.

"Yeah, but it's Tim, Julie. If anyone can turn an innocent study session into a 'night of debauchery', it would be Tim."

Julie grinned slightly, rolling her eyes at Tyra's words.

"I'm serious, Julie. He has a way of making girls fall for him, and then he always ends up breaking their hearts. I don't want to see that happen to you." Tyra stated.

Too late, Julie thought to herself silently in response to Tyra's statement about falling for Tim.

Julie felt pretty sure that had already happened.

Since their little reunion out at the cliffs, he had stayed in her thoughts almost constantly, and the flutter in her stomach was in full force any time he was near her.

She had always been aware of how good looking he was, but now she seemed to notice every little thing.

Like his full lips and how one side of his mouth lifted just slightly higher than the other when he smiled.

Or the roughness of his hands, and his long fingers, especially when they were touching her in some way – his hand on her shoulder or brushing her hair behind her ear.

She finally really understood why the females of Dillon wanted a piece of Tim Riggins.

But understanding why they wanted him didn't stop her feelings about it.

She swore that she could poke the rally girls' eyeballs out when she saw them hanging all over him in the hallways.

Jealous didn't even come close to explaining what she felt at the sight.

Something in her eyes must have given her thoughts about Tim away, as Tyra let out a short, humorless laugh.

"Oh, shit." Tyra drawled, looking at Julie closely. "Seriously, Julie? Tim Riggins?"

Julie shrugged, kicking her feet back and forth slowly. "I can't help it. It just happened, Tyra."

"Damn it, I was leery of you and Tim bein' friends, but I sure as hell can't sit by and watch you fall for him. You've gotta stop."

Julie snorted. "Tyra, you don't exactly get to choose who you like. I can't just cut off these feelings like it's a light switch or something."

"Julie, Tim Riggins doesn't do relationships, okay." Tyra said, taking a deep breath. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Julie sighed. She understood that Tyra was just looking out for her, and she even realized that most of what Tyra was saying was true.

But she couldn't help but think that maybe things could be different between her and Tim. Maybe he wouldn't break her heart.

"Are you listenin' to me, Julie?"

"Yes, Tyra." Julie said with a small smile. "I hear you, and I'll keep what you said in mind. But I'm gonna make my own decisions. I don't know how to explain it, but it's different between me and Tim."

Tyra sighed. "That's what all the girls think, Julie."

"Well, unlike the rest of the girls, I actually mean it." Julie responded quickly. "I appreciate the advice, but I'll be fine. And if I'm not, then I'll deal with it."

"I just don't want to have to say I told you so." Tyra said, shaking her head as the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period.

Julie stood, gathering her books in her arms. "Well, hopefully you won't have to."

Hopefully whatever was going on between her and Tim would work out.

But regardless, she knew she would rather have him as just a friend, than as nothing at all.

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It was a sad, sad day when the sight of an almost-naked woman gyrating on a stripper pole right in front of you couldn't lift your spirits, Tim thought to himself as he sat on a barstool at the Landing Strip.

Tim was way too busy thinking about the events of the past few days to really focus on the entertainment, his mind a jumble of Julie and Lyla.

Lyla.

Lyla hadn't been in his thoughts in weeks, but after speaking with her yesterday, she had taken up residence in his mind once again.

She had approached him yesterday at school, informing him that she had split up with her boyfriend. She had looked at him with her big brown eyes, giving him that sugary sweet smile as she told him that she wanted to spend some time with him, going on and on about how much she had missed having him in her life.

Tim should have been ecstatic. Lyla wanted him. After all the months spent trying to win her over, she finally wanted him.

But Tim didn't feel much of anything. Except maybe confused.

And then there was Julie.

After the drama out at the cliffs, things were back to the way they were before. Well, maybe not exactly the same as before.

There was something different between them that Tim couldn't really put his finger on. Almost like a spark in the air that hadn't been there before, or at least not as apparent.

And when he had walked down the hall earlier in the day, and seen her standing with Saracen, laughing up at him with a smile on her beautiful face – Tim had finally admitted it to himself.

He didn't want to just be Julie's friend anymore.

He wanted more.

He wanted Julie to be standing beside _him_, laughing with _him_, looking at _him_ with that look in her eye.

Only _him_ – no one else.

"Tim, what the hell's wrong with you today?" Billy asked, nudging Tim in the shoulder as he gave him a funny look.

"Huh?" Tim asked, shaking his head slightly.

"Candy was just shakin' her ass in your face, and you looked like you were a million miles away."

"Got a lot on my mind." Tim muttered, taking a drink of his beer.

"Girl problems?" Billy asked with a grin.

Tim shrugged. "Lyla broke up with her boyfriend. She wants to be with me now."

"Don't tell me you're actually considerin' it." Billy said quickly, giving Tim a stern look. "Tim, I told you from day one that Lyla Garrity was never gonna take you seriously. One of these days you're gonna stop with all this screwin' around and find you the love of a good woman. Like I got with Mindy."

"Yeah Billy, you got a real fairytale goin' on right now." Tim replied, glancing over at Mindy as she shook her ass in some old guy's face.

"That's a job. You think that I care that my girl's givin' some fifty year old fat-ass trucker a lap dance?" Billy asked. "Hey Mindy! I love you baby!" Billy yelled across the room.

"Uh-huh monkey, I love you." Mindy replied, never stopping her movements on the guy's lap.

Tim chuckled, watching the exchange between the pair.

"See Tim, that's public. That's love." Billy said seriously. "You need to forget Lyla Garrity, little brother. That's nothing but trouble."

"Yeah." Tim drawled, agreeing with his brother.

Tim knew he didn't want anything to do with Lyla. He was way past over her.

"Now, little Julie Taylor on the other hand…" Billy said with a smirk. "That's a different story."

Tim scoffed lightly. "That's not trouble?"

"Now normally I would say hell yes, messing around with Coach's daughter is nothing but trouble." Billy said. "But I saw how upset you were at that hospital, and the whole week after. And I saw the look in her eye when she came by the house lookin' for you."

Tim turned, meeting Billy's gaze head on. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Billy said with a grin. "There's something there little brother. I don't know what, but you'd be a coward if you didn't try and find out."

Tim nodded slowly, taking a long sip from his bottle, thinking about his brother's words.

Tim knew that Billy was speaking the truth. As much as he enjoyed Julie's friendship, he knew that he had to at least let her know that he felt more for her.

Though he wasn't sure exactly how to do that. He wasn't exactly a man of many words. He was more of an action-type of guy.

Usually a kissing-type of guy to be more specific. When he was feeling a lot of emotions and didn't know what to say – he'd just kiss the girl.

Sometimes it worked.

Sometimes it didn't.

Sometimes it would lead to gettin' laid.

Sometimes he'd just get slapped in the face.

But he wasn't so sure how that approach would work with Julie. He sure as hell didn't want to lose her friendship.

Besides Street, she was easily the best friend he had.

"You know, Tim…" Billy drawled, interrupting his thoughts of Julie. "You're always talkin' about 'No Regrets' and all that. Well, this is one thing that I guarantee you'll regret if you let Julie slip through your fingers."

Tim nodded slowly, thinking of his brother's words.

Tim wasn't sure where all this advice was coming from. Billy usually wasn't one to know what the hell he was talkin' about, but he had to admit that Billy was right.

And hell, Julie had said that he was the only person that she had wanted to see after the accident. That surely had to count for something.

"No regrets." Tim stated, clinking his bottle of beer against Billy's before taking a long drink.

He didn't want _any_ regrets where Julie was concerned.


	12. Chapter 12

Title: Lonely No More

A/N: Ugh! I've had this chapter ready to post since Friday night, but FF was experiencing a 'technical glitch' that apparently lasted for about a day and a half. So, I apologize for keeping you ladies waiting! Thanks for all the great reviews, favorites, and alerts! Here's a nice, long chapter for you all. Enjoy :D

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"Go baby, go!" Eric yelled at the television, engrossed in the college football game on television.

"Dad, you do realize that guy running on TV can't hear you, right?" Julie asked, arching her eyebrow at her father.

Eric sighed, giving his daughter a frown before turning his attention back to the television.

Julie grinned. "You can't be yellin' that loud anyways. You're gonna wake Gracie up from her nap."

"She's fine. That kid could sleep through a tornado." Eric stated, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"Can't we watch something else? Anything else." She sighed, dropping her head back against the couch.

"Julie, it's Saturday. There's nothin' else to watch on Saturday's but college football."

"I should have gone to the store with mom." Julie muttered to herself, closing her eyes.

After the Panthers' loss to Arnett Mead the night before, her dad wasn't in the best of moods.

Shopping for groceries hadn't sounded very appealing when her mom left, but now Julie was thinking that pushing around a grocery cart sounded heavenly compared to this.

Julie opened her eyes a few seconds later, hearing a knock on the front door.

"Who the hell's that?" Eric muttered, not bothering to get up from his seat. "You want to get that honey?"

"No, I don't." Julie muttered. "But I guess I will. I'd hate for you to miss any of your game." She said with fake sweetness.

Julie made her way to the door, surprise and happiness apparent on her face as she opened the door to see the visitor standing on the doorstep.

"Tim." Julie said, giving him a bright smile.

"Hey, Taylor." He replied, a smirk on his lips as he looked at Julie, his gaze taking in her raggedy t-shirt and old jogging pants.

Damn it, why couldn't she be wearing something cute? Of course she'd be wearing the oldest clothes she owned.

While he looked gorgeous as always, wearing black swim trunks and an old Panthers shirt with the sleeves cut off, giving her a lovely view of his muscular arms.

"Uh, so what are you doin' here?" She asked a little nervously, trying to focus on forming coherent words.

Tim shrugged. "I was bored. Thought you might want to go for a swim. It's hot as hell out here."

"Uh, sure." Julie said quickly, giving him a grin. "Let me just ask my dad, and then get changed."

"Julie!" Eric yelled. "Who is it?"

Julie rolled her eyes, huffing lightly. "Come on in. Let me forewarn you that he's a little edgy today."

"Understandable." Tim muttered, giving her a smirk as he followed her into the house.

"It's just Tim, dad." Julie stated, walking into the living room with Tim close behind her.

"Well, hey son. How are yah?" Eric asked, giving Tim a questioning look.

"I'm good, Coach." Tim answered.

"Uh, dad, would it be okay if I went down to the pool with Tim for a little while?" Julie asked, biting her bottom lip and pleading with her eyes.

Eric sighed deeply, frowning as he looked back and forth between the two of them.

Please, please, please, Julie prayed silently, nodding slightly at her dad, trying to encourage him to say yes.

"Alright." He finally answered. "But y'all are just to go swimming, now. Then come on back home."

"Yes sir." Julie said happily, feeling down right giddy at the thought of spending the afternoon with Tim. "Let me run and change into my swimsuit. I'll be right back." She told Tim, before escaping into her bedroom.

Tim nodded, standing there awkwardly for a few seconds before finally meeting Coach's gaze.

"Have a seat, son. Women always take forever gettin' ready." Eric drawled, motioning for Tim to have a seat on the couch.

"Thanks." Tim replied, turning his gaze toward the game on television.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, both focusing on the game.

"You played a good game last night." Eric said, breaking the silence.

"Not good enough." Tim replied, shaking his head slightly.

Eric looked over at Tim, giving him a serious look. "We just weren't prepared for Arnett Mead last night. We lost, but that doesn't change the fact that you played a hell of a game, son."

"Thanks, Coach." Tim said quietly.

"Okay, I'm ready if you are." Julie announced, walking back into the room, a tank top and shorts covering her bathing suit and a bag slung over her shoulder. "I'll be home later, dad."

"You kids be careful. And remember what I said. Swimming and then home." Eric repeated, looking at them both.

"Yes sir." Tim replied, giving Coach a nod.

"I understand." Julie said, leaning over to give her dad a quick kiss on the cheek. "Bye." She called, grabbing Tim's hand and pulling him out of the house.

"You in a hurry, Jules?" Tim asked with a chuckle as she continued pulling him toward his truck.

Julie laughed. "I'm just wanting to hurry and leave before he changes his mind."

Tim grinned, opening her door and waiting for her to hop inside before walking around and climbing in himself.

Julie couldn't keep the grin off of her face as Tim started the truck and they made their way through town.

She glanced over at him, biting her lip.

He looked so good. And relaxed.

He looked like he didn't have a care in the world, when she felt like she was a ball of nerves.

He looked her way, a smirk on his lips as he caught her staring openly.

"You alright, Jules?" He drawled.

"Um, yeah." Julie said quickly, turning to look out the window, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. "Hey, you missed the turn for the pool." She said, noticing that Tim had passed the road leading to the community pool.

"We're not goin' to the pool." He replied.

"I thought you said we were goin' swimming."

"We are." Tim said simply. "I never said we were goin' to the pool though."

Julie grinned. She had just assumed that they would be going to the community pool, but apparently she was wrong.

"You heard me tell my dad that we were goin' to the pool. Why didn't you correct me?" She asked, looking over at him.

Tim shrugged. "Figured Coach might not mind the pool, but he probably wouldn't be too happy about us goin' off to the lake by ourselves."

"You thought right." Julie agreed, giving him a smile before turning her attention back to the window and the passing scenery.

They rode in comfortable silence, southern rock music filling the air as they drove down the road with the windows down, the wind in their hair.

Coming to the outskirts of town, Tim pulled onto a dirt road that seemed to go on forever. Finally, the road gave way to a clearing and view of the lake.

"This is nice." Julie said softly, grabbing her bag and stepping out of the truck.

"Yeah. It's pretty sweet." Tim drawled, walking around to stand beside her.

"Who's property is this?" She questioned. "It's got a pier, so it's obviously somebody's."

"A friend of Billy's." Tim replied, as they started to make their way out onto the pier. "They come huntin' out here in the winter. And they party down here some in the summer."

"That's good. I'd hate to get caught trespassing." Julie grinned. "I wouldn't look good in prison garb. Black and white stripes aren't my thing."

Tim smirked. "I don't know, Jules. I figure you'd look good in just about anything." He said softly, meeting her gaze.

Oh Lord. Was he flirting with her? Or was he just teasing her?

Julie couldn't tell, but between the words and the look he was giving her, she was finding it a little hard to breath.

"Uh, thanks." She mumbled, turning to sit her bag on the pier, mentally telling herself to breath.

She turned back to find Tim in midair, jumping into the water and landing with a big splash.

"Hey!" She yelled playfully, as water flew up and soaked her.

"You're gonna get wet anyways, Taylor." Tim laughed, pushing his hair back from his face as he treaded water.

"A little notice would be nice though." She responded with a grin, stepping out of her shorts and taking off her tank top, revealing her turquoise bikini.

It wasn't risqué, but it was showing more skin than she'd ever showed Tim before. He usually saw her in her one-piece lifeguard suit. And this was far from that.

She liked her body okay. Maybe her hips could have been a little slimmer, and she was always a little self conscious about the size of her breasts, but standing in front of Tim made her feel completely awkward.

This was Tim Riggins. He was like a damn connoisseur of female bodies, and she wasn't sure how she'd measure up to all his other women.

She finally met his gaze to find his eyes running over her body slowly, making her shiver.

She watched as a sexy grin came over his lips. "Come on in, Jules." He said, his voice sounding a little huskier than usual.

"How deep is it?" She asked, walking up to the edge of the pier.

Tim shrugged. "I don't know. You can't touch right here."

Julie nodded, arching her body and diving flawlessly into the lake, coming up a few feet in front of Tim.

"Jesus! It's cold." She said loudly, pushing her wet hair back from her face.

"You get used to it."

"Ugh!" Julie shivered, laughing as she treaded water.

"That Texas sun'll warm you up in a bit." He said, squinting his eyes as he looked up in the sky.

"You feelin' okay after last night's game?" Julie asked, drawing his gaze back to her face.

"Yeah. I'm good." Tim drawled. "Sucks that we lost, but we've still got a chance to make it to state if we don't lose anymore games."

Julie nodded slowly. "I'm sure you guys will make it."

Tim nodded, leaning back and floating on top of the water, holding his arms out to his sides.

"It would probably help if you worked out a little more though." Julie said cheekily. "You know, if you were in better shape and all."

She was joking of course, just trying to get a rise out of him.

Tim could be a poster boy for a fitness magazine with his rock-hard abs, toned legs, and lean, muscular arms.

Breathe, Julie. Breathe.

Tim jerked up, a smirk on his face. "You callin' me out?"

"I don't know." Julie grinned. "I'm just sayin' that maybe you've had one too many bottles of beer lately."

"Alright." Tim replied, swimming closer to her. "Let's see how out of shape I am. Race you to the end of the slew and back."

Julie bit her lip, playfully considering his challenge. "Alright. To the end of the slew and back."

Tim grinned cockily. "Ready. Set. Go!"

They both took off, their bodies slicing through the cool water as fast as each could go.

Julie kept him in her peripheral vision, surprised by how good of a swimmer Tim was. She hadn't seen him do much swimming at the pool. He spent most of his time lounging on floats with random girls.

As they made it to the edge of the inlet, both turned and headed back to the pier, still side by side.

Julie felt that Taylor competitiveness kick in as she gave it all she had as they both neared the pier. With a final kick, her hand touched the pier a fraction of a second quicker than Tim's.

"I won!" She said breathlessly, holding onto the edge of the pier as she looked over at Tim.

"No way." Tim said, breathing deeply. "I beat you, Jules."

Julie shook her head, laughing as she tried to catch her breath. "I touched the pier before you did, Tim. It was close, but I won."

"Nah." Tim said, a smirk on his face. "I think I got it before you."

"You are such a liar." Julie laughed, splashing water in his face with her hand. "You just can't stand the thought of losing to a girl."

Tim smirked, splashing water back at her playfully. "I guess we'll never know who really won."

Julie snorted. "I know who won." She stated. "Me."

"You're fast."

"I'm a lifeguard. You have no idea how much I have to swim for that. All the drills and stuff we have to do, including holding your breath."

"I could hold my breath longer than you, too." He challenged.

Julie laughed. "Not now. I've gotta catch my breath first." She said, causing Tim to chuckle.

"Break time." Tim drawled, reaching up and effortlessly pulling his body out of the water and onto the pier.

He stood, shaking the water out of his hair before turning and looking down at Julie.

Julie looked up at him, admiring the chiseled abs and the way that the drops of water ran down his chest, over his abs, and disappeared beneath the waistband of his swim trunks into places that made her hot just thinking about.

There simply weren't words to describe him.

He looked down at her with a sexy smirk, fully aware that Julie was enjoying the view. She tried to keep the blush off her cheeks, but couldn't succeed.

"Come on." He drawled, reaching down and sliding his hands underneath her arms, his fingers grazing the sides of her breasts as he easily lifted her small body out of the water.

"Um, thanks." She muttered, as he placed her on her feet, the feel of his hands on her body making her feel almost dizzy.

"No problem." He muttered, slowly removing his hands, surprising her as he reached out to trace the puckered scar on her side from the accident.

"That hurt?" He asked softly.

"Uh, not anymore." Julie stammered, shivering as he fingers traced over the scar lightly. "I'm just glad to have the stitches out. Those things itch like hell."

Tim smiled, dropping his hand to his side and clearing his throat. "Uh, you want a beer? I packed some in a cooler."

"Yeah, sure." Julie said quickly, glad for the distraction.

Tim nodded slightly, turning and heading back toward the truck. Julie shook her head, trying to stay focused as she grabbed her towel out of her bag and sat on the edge of the pier, placing her feet in the water.

"Here yah go." Tim muttered, handing her a beer before dropping down beside her, placing his feet in the cool water himself.

"Thanks." Julie replied, trying unsuccessfully to twist the cap off of her bottle.

Tim chuckled, taking the bottle out of her hand and popping the top off before returning it to her.

"Thanks." She repeated, chuckling along with him as she took a drink of the amber liquid.

She sat there quietly for several seconds, not sure what to say, but enjoying the feel of Tim's warm body beside her own.

"This is nice." She said, kicking her feet slowly as she turned to look at him.

Tim nodded. "Yeah." He mumbled, looking down at her, a small smirk on his lips.

"You know..." Julie began, about to comment on the weather of all things, when Tim shocked the hell out of her by swooping down and placing his lips on hers.

Julie froze, unable to move for a few seconds as Tim brushed his full lips across hers, goosebumps covering her body.

Jesus. This is really happening.

Tim Riggins is kissing me - Julie Taylor.

She grinned beneath his lips, placing her hand on his damp chest and returning the kiss.

Tim pulled back slightly, meeting her gaze as if to ask if this was all okay.

Julie just grinned, leaning in and capturing his mouth with hers once again.

The contrast between his soft lips and his hot mouth was enough to make Julie feel tingly all over, and as he slanted his head to deepen the kiss, Julie felt like she was about to melt into a big puddle of Riggins-induced goo.

She sighed as his large hand came up to cup her face, tilting her head back slightly. She returned the favor, sliding her hand up his hard chest and wrapping it around his neck, her fingers tangling in the wet hair at the nape of his neck.

Damn, but Tim was a good kisser. He was kissing her long and hard, leisurely learning her mouth like he had all the time in the world.

Not that Julie was complaining. She was sure she had never felt like this before – like her skin was on fire, but completely at peace at the same time.

She almost whimpered as he finally pulled back, not wanting the sweet sensations to end.

She smiled almost shyly, looking up at him as they both tried to catch their breath. His lips were turned up in the sweetest smile, his hand still cupping the side of her face.

"So, um…" Julie stammered, licking her lips as she looked up at him.

Awkward, she thought to herself. What do I say now?

"Anyone ever told you that you talk too much, Jules?" He questioned playfully, his voice low.

Julie grinned. "Maybe once or twice." She said quietly.

Tim smirked before once again bringing his lips to hers for another kiss.

Julie sighed, leaning into him as he once again began to explore her mouth, making her happier than she ever thought possible.

Tim obviously wanted to be more than friends with her, just as she did with him.

But now definitely wasn't the time to be thinking about that.

She had a very kissable Tim Riggins to enjoy, and she wasn't passing up a minute of that.

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A/N: Okay ladies, are we happy now? ;D


	13. Chapter 13

Title: Lonely No More

A/N: I appreciate all the great feedback on the last chapter! This website is still acting like it's on crack or something, so if you reviewed the last chapter and I didnt reply - I apologize! Some reviews didn't show up, and when I attempted to reply to some reviews it told me that review didn't exist. Craziness! Hopefully this time around will be better. Let me know your thoughts on this chapter! Enjoy :D

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"A date?" Eric asked in a hushed voice. "A date?"

"Yes honey, a date." Tami whispered, giving him an exasperated look. "You remember those times when Julie used to go out with Matt Saracen and they would go out to eat or to a movie or something. That was a date."

"Don't get smart with me. I know what the hell a date is." Eric replied quickly. "But Tim Riggins is in a whole different league than little Matt Saracen."

Tami sighed, leaning back against the kitchen counter. "Well, we knew this was coming. I'm just surprised it took this long to be honest."

Eric frowned. "It's a school night. What are they doin' going out on a school night?"

"We used to allow her to go out with Matt occasionally on a school night." Tami whispered. "Julie said they're just goin' out to eat. That's it."

"Hey mom, have you seen my black flats?" Julie asked, walking into the kitchen to find her parents whispering in the corner. "What are y'all doin'?"

"Nothing, honey." Tami answered quickly, a big smile on her face. "Your shoes are in the laundry room. I saw them earlier."

"Thanks." Julie said slowly, giving both parents a funny look before making her way to the laundry room.

Eric sighed, running his hands through his hair, causing it to stand up on end.

"Hell." He muttered, hearing a knock on the door. "I'll get it." He said quickly, sauntering toward the door.

Eric pulled the door open quickly, finding Tim standing on the doorstep.

"Hey, Coach." Tim drawled, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Tim." Eric stated, giving him a look. "I hear that you're takin' Julie on a date tonight. Is that right?"

"Uh, yes sir." Tim replied slowly.

Eric nodded, about to lay down some ground rules as Julie walks up, followed closely by Tami.

"Hey, Tim." Julie said brightly, a smile on her face.

"Jules." Tim drawled, trying not to stare openly in front of her parents, but having a hard time of it.

"Well, we better go." Julie said quickly, taking a step past her father and out the door.

"Now wait just a minute." Eric drawled, holding up his hand. "Julie you are to be home by 9:00. It is a school night."

Julie sighed, rolling her eyes. "Yes sir."

"That's plenty of time for y'all to go get something to eat." Tami added, taking a step closer to her husband.

"Okay." Julie said quickly, wanting to get out of there already.

"Y'all go get something to eat, and be home by 9:00." Eric repeated, giving them both a stern look. "And Tim, you best keep your hands to yourself."

"Dad!" Julie squeaked, embarrassment evident on her face at her dad's warning.

Tim bit his lip, trying not to laugh. He knew now wasn't the time. Coach was serious.

"Yes sir. I understand." Tim replied, nodding his head slightly.

"Alright." Eric drawled. "Now get out of here."

"Bye y'all. Be careful." Tami called as Tim and Julie made their way toward his truck.

Tim opened her door, waiting for her to climb in before walking around to his side.

He climbed inside and started the truck, pulling away from the curb before finally glancing at Julie.

"That was so embarrassing." She muttered, holding her hands over her face.

Tim chuckled. "It's alright." He said, looking over at her and meeting her gaze.

She smiled, and he felt his stomach tighten. Lord, but she was looking good tonight.

Not that she didn't always look good, but when she smiled at him like that – she was beautiful.

He still found it a little hard to believe that this was happening.

He had kissed her. No warning or anything, just kissed her like he had a tendency to do.

And miracle of miracles, she had kissed him back. Kissed him like she couldn't get enough of him.

And Tim was pretty sure after the kisses they had shared at the lake, that he wouldn't ever get enough of her.

"Where are we going?" She asked, breaking into his thoughts.

Tim shrugged. "Thought we'd grab some burgers to go or something from the Alamo Freeze."

"To go?" Julie asked. "You ashamed to be seen with me or something, Riggins?" She asked playfully.

Tim chuckled. "Not hardly, Jules." He muttered, shaking his head. "We just don't have too much time, and I thought we could go somewhere a little less crowded."

"That sounds nice." Julie responded, brushing her bangs out of her eyes as she smiled at him again.

Tim grinned, feeling like a damn twelve-year old with his first crush.

Hell, if all she had to do was smile to make him want her, it was going to be a long night.

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Julie leaned back against the bleachers, finishing off her burger as she looked around at the empty stadium.

She had been a little surprised when Tim had brought her here. She had assumed that when he said go somewhere less crowded, that he meant out in the woods parking somewhere.

Though she probably shouldn't have been surprised by his choice of the Panthers' stadium. She knew this was one of the main places he felt the most comfortable.

"Burger good?" He asked, wadding up his trash and placing it in the empty paper bag.

"Yep." She replied, giving him a grin as she wiped her hands off with a napkin.

She leaned over, brushing her arm against his as she dropped her napkin into the bag.

"Thanks." She stated, giving him a smile before settling back against the bleachers.

"No worries." He mumbled, leaning back beside her, his hand snaking out to grab hers, placing it palm up on his leg.

Julie held her breath as he began to trace small patterns on her palm with his fingers, sending little bursts of electricity up her arm and through her body.

"How'd your interview go?" He asked softly, catching her off guard with the change in subject.

"Um, good. It went good." Julie answered, trying to think clearly.

She had gone for her second interview at Applebee's today after school, and had luckily been offered a waitressing job. Her parents weren't too crazy about the idea, but Julie was excited.

"I got the job. And I start tomorrow." She said, giving him a smile.

"That's good, Jules." He said, meeting her gaze. "I'm happy for yah. Even though I have a feelin' this is goin' to cut into our Tim and Julie time." He said with a smirk.

Julie laughed. "Tim and Julie time, huh? That's a nice way to put it."

Tim shrugged, a smirk on his lips as he returned his attention to upturned hand.

"It won't be that bad really." She said quietly, turning and straddling the bleacher seat so that she was facing him, all without moving her hand from his leg. "I mean, you're always at practice and lifting weights and stuff." She said quickly.

She frowned. She hadn't thought about the job taking away from her time with Tim.

Oh God. They had just started whatever it was they were doing. What if he had too much time on his hands and turned to his rally girls instead?

"Hey, I was kidding." Tim said quietly, giving her arm a shake. "Just know that you'll have to spend your time away from work with me." He smirked.

"Well…" Julie said, trying to keep a straight face and fight off the butterflies in her stomach. "I'll see if I can fit you into my schedule."

"You do that, Jules." Tim mumbled, smiling as he leans in and places his warm mouth to hers, bringing his free hand to the side of her face, cupping her cheek and running his fingers through the hair at her temples.

A soft moan caught in her throat, as she ran her hand up the front of his shirt and to the side of his neck, losing herself in the kiss as both seemed unable to get enough of one another.

Tim's lips teased her own, until she finally opened her mouth, ultimately giving him what he wanted as his tongue slipped inside and touched her own.

Dear God. For a guy who spent his time demolishing people on the field, Tim was surprisingly gentle and smooth in all his movements.

She shivered as she felt him slide his hand along the column of her neck, tunneling his fingers through her long hair.

Almost desperately, she wound her arms around his neck and slid even closer to him, holding back a protest as Tim pulled back.

She watched as he swung his leg over the bleachers, now straddling the bench and facing her head on. He slid his hands underneath her thighs, deftly pulling her closer and resting her legs over his own, bringing them dangerously close.

"That's better." He muttered, settling his hands on her waist.

Julie licked her lips, shivering as his thumbs touched the bare skin of her sides under the hem of her shirt. "Don't you remember what my dad said about keepin' your hands to yourself?" She asked with a smirk.

Tim chuckled. "I've never been very good at followin' directions, Jules." He drawled lazily, bringing his lips down on hers once again.

As the kiss continued, Julie felt sure that she had never experienced feelings like this before. Tim was doing things with his mouth that had her toes curling, and all she could do was hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

She imagined that kissing Tim was pretty much like being dropped into a huge vat of chocolate – surrounded by warmth, unable to breath, but the taste was oh so sweet.

After what seemed like ages, Tim finally pulled back, looking at her through half-lidded eyes, a soft smile on his face.

"Why'd you stop?" She asked, her voice sounding breathless. Clearly because the guy literally took her breath away.

"Because…" He drawled, tilting his head to the side as he looked at her. "You're gonna miss curfew if we don't leave soon."

Julie sighed, glancing at her watch. He was right. Why couldn't her parents have said 10:00?

"Otherwise I think I could do this all night." He said softly, giving her a sexy smirk, looking boyishly handsome in that moment.

"Me too." She whispered, surprising them both by leaning in and giving him a quick kiss.

She begrudgingly slid her legs off of Tim's, standing unsteadily on her feet.

"Easy, Taylor." Tim said, grabbing her by the arm to steady her as he stood up.

"Thanks." She mumbled, glancing up at him.

He had a shit-eating grin on his face, knowing full well that their little kissing marathon had made her weak in the knees.

"We'll have to do this again sometime." He drawled, sliding his arm around her waist as they slowly began to make their way down the steps. "I like eating here."

Julie smiled. Yeah, she wanted to do this again too, but she wasn't referring to eating.

"Oh yeah." She said cheekily. "Good food. Nice atmosphere." She said playfully, laughing as he squeezed her waist.

"Great company." Tim said, giving her a big grin, her stomach flutters going into overdrive at the sight.

You got that right, she thought to herself, sliding her arm around his waist as the two exited the stadium.


	14. Chapter 14

Title: Lonely No More

A/N: You lovely ladies really make my day with all the great reviews!!! Please keep 'em coming :D Here's the next chapter of Tim and Julie time. Enjoy!!!

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Julie nervously bit her lip, watching the passing scenery as she and her mom made the morning drive to school.

This would be the first day back since she and Tim were, well, doing whatever it was that they were doing.

"Jules honey, are you alright?" Tami asked, glancing over at her daughter.

Julie sighed. "Yeah, I'm just kind of anxious right now. I mean, I can already imagine the rumors and gossip that's gonna be flying around school when people see Tim and I together."

"Well, it may not be as bad as you're thinking, hun." Tami said thoughtfully. "You and Tim have pretty much been around each other since school started. People are used to seeing y'all together."

"Yeah, maybe." Julie mumbled, not really convinced.

It was one thing for her and Tim to be buddies and talk in the halls. It was a whole other thing for them to be holding hands, or walking to class together, or hopefully – stealing kisses from one another.

I guess we'll see what happens, she thought silently as her mom pulled into the school parking lot, quickly taking the principal slot.

Julie grabbed her books and stepped out of the vehicle. "Bye mom." She said, turning to head inside.

"Jules." Tami called, walking closer as to not be overheard. "Try not to worry about what might happen. And if people want to talk, let 'em talk. All that matters is if you're happy. Are you happy?"

Julie nodded quickly, giving her mom a small smile.

Tami nodded. "Well, to heck with everyone else." She said with a grin.

"Thanks, mom." Julie said, realizing that this was one of those moments where she realized that her parents weren't so bad.

"No problem, sweetie. You know where to find me if you need me." Tami replied before turning and heading toward the office.

Julie took a deep breath, before stepping inside and being engulfed by the chaos that was Dillon High School. She said hello to several students along the way, finally coming to a stop in front of her locker.

As she stood swapping her books, she jumped as she felt someone grab her waist, quickly looking back to find the culprit.

"Tim! You scared me." She said quickly, slapping him on the chest. "I didn't know who that was."

"Nobody else better be puttin' their hands on you." He said with a smirk, tilting his head to the side.

Julie smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear as she felt her cheeks reddening from his words.

"Hey you guys." Tyra called, walking up beside them. "Guess what?"

"Uh, hey Tyra." Julie said quickly, almost forgetting to breathe as she felt Tim slide his arm around her waist. "Uh, what?"

Tyra opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it , glancing down at Tim's arm wrapped possessively around Julie's small waist.

"Ah, hell." Tyra muttered, giving them both a look. "It's happened."

Julie couldn't help but let out a laugh at her friend's obvious disappointment and reaction.

"Whatever do you mean?" Julie asked innocently, giving Tyra a smile.

"You know what I mean." Tyra drawled, shaking her head. "Tim, I'm only gonna say this once. You hurt her, in any way, and I will hurt you twice as bad. You got that?"

Tim smirked. "I've never seen this protective side of you Tyra, it's kind of weird."

"Tim, I'm not playin'." Tyra said, giving him a hard look.

Tim sighed. "I hear yah, Collette. I hear yah. But no worries, okay? We're good." He said, meeting Julie's gaze. "Real good."

Julie grinned, feeling her stomach fluttering from his look and his words.

He was good – real good. Hell, he was great as far as she was concerned.

"Oh, please." Tyra muttered, drawing their gazes away from one another. "Anyways, what I walked up to tell you guys, was that I just found out that I won Senior Class President."

"That's great!" Julie said excitedly, giving her a quick hug. "I knew you could do it."

"Congrats." Tim grinned.

"Thanks." Tyra replied, a smile on her face. "They're announcing it to the rest of the school later today during announcements, but they went ahead and told me a few minutes ago." She said as the bell rang, signaling five minutes left to get to class.

"Well, I better get to class." Tyra said quickly. "You two lovebirds stay out of trouble. And remember what I said, Tim." She warned one last time before making her way down the hall.

Tim smiled, shaking his head as he ushered Julie down the hallway, his arm still wound tightly around her waist.

"English, right?" Tim asked, nodding to a few teammates.

"Uh, yeah." Julie replied, giving him a surprised look. "You know my schedule?"

Tim shrugged, looking down at her with a grin, not bothering to answer.

Julie smiled, squeezing her books tightly against her chest. As they made their way through the crowd, she was fully aware of the looks and stares they were receiving.

The whispering had already begun as well. She gave it maybe until the end of second period before the whole school knew that Tim had walked her to class.

"This is me." She said, stopping in front of her first period class and turning to smile at him.

Tim looked down at her for a couple of seconds before leaning in and planting his lips on hers for a long, hard kiss.

Julie completely forgot where she was, losing herself in the perfection that were Tim's lips.

He finally pulled back, smirking down at her.

Julie grinned. He had done that on purpose, she knew.

She was sure that would also be all over the school in a matter of minutes, but she didn't care.

Her mom was right.

If they wanted to talk, let 'em talk.

She was happy and that was all that mattered.

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"Julie, how could you not let me know about this?" Lois asked loudly, pushing her lunch tray out of the way. "Do you know how it felt to hear people talking about seeing you making out with Tim Riggins, and I didn't even know y'all were together?"

Julie sighed. She had feared that Lois would be upset with her for not calling her after the first kiss and giving her all the juicy details.

"Well, it just kind of happened over the weekend, Lois." Julie stated, shrugging her shoulders. "And we were not 'making out'. He kissed me, that's it."

"That's it?" Lois shrieked. "Julie, this is like monumental! My best friend in the whole world got kissed by Tim Riggins. I can't believe this is happening."

Julie rolled her eyes, taking a bite of mashed potatoes as she tried to think of some way to change the subject.

"Hello ladies."

Julie looked up to find Tim smirking down at her, a lunch tray in his hand.

"This seat taken?" He asked, not waiting for an answer as he slid into the chair beside Julie.

"H-hey." She stated, smiling at him. She was somewhat surprised that he was sitting with her and foregoing his usual seat with the players. Not that she was complaining or anything.

Lois cleared her throat, drawing Julie's attention away from Tim.

"Oh, um, Tim this is my friend Lois." Julie stated. "I don't know if you guys have ever been formally introduced."

"Hi, Tim." Lois said quickly, a goofy grin on her face.

"Hey." Tim drawled, giving her a smile.

Julie bit her lip, trying to hold back laughter as she watched Lois' face turn red from excitement. Not that she could really blame her. Julie was finding that she felt the same way around Tim.

"So…" Julie said, trying to think of something to say. It was kind of awkward just sitting there as Tim ate his lunch as if he sat with her every day, while Lois looked like a fish out of water with the way she was breathing so deeply.

"Julie says you smell nice." Lois said quickly, the words tumbling out of her mouth.

"Lois!" Julie hissed, giving her friend a 'what the hell' look, before glancing toward Tim.

Tim looked at Lois for a few seconds like he wasn't sure if those words had actually come out of her mouth. But then a slow, sexy grin came over his face.

"Well, Jules smells pretty sweet, too." Tim drawled, giving Julie a wink before shoveling in another bite of food.

Julie grinned. She was sure that she was practically beaming to others as she glanced around the crowded cafeteria.

She and Tim were drawing more than a few glances their way, that was for sure.

Her gaze collided with Lyla Garrity's, and Lyla looked away quickly.

Uh-oh. Lyla obviously wasn't too happy about the current situation.

Too bad, so sad, Julie thought to herself, smirking as her eyes roamed the rest of the room, falling on the table of Panthers.

She gave Matt a small smile as she saw him looking her way. He returned her smile with a small one of his own, and a nod before averting his gaze.

It was going to take people some getting used to, but eventually everyone would settle down and there would be something else for people to gossip about.

"Tim do you wash your hair every day? Do you use conditioner? Because it always looks so soft." Lois rambled, smiling adoringly at Tim.

Julie groaned quietly.

Yeah, it was going to take people some getting used to, but Julie was pretty sure Lois might never get used to the idea.

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"Hey, Tim." Lyla called, grabbing his forearm as he walked across the parking lot toward the field house.

"Yeah?" Tim drawled, turning to look at her as he pulled his arm out of her grasp.

"Hey." Lyla said, giving him a big smile. "Uh, how are you?"

"Good." Tim replied, shrugging his shoulders as he looked down at her.

She looked good in her short sundress and cowboy boots, but Tim felt none of the old feelings that he used to have for her.

Her smile was almost too sweet, or too fake. Not like Julie's smile, that was always given freely and held an almost uniqueness to it – like it was a smile reserved only for him.

He couldn't help but compare the two of them as he stood there looking at Lyla, and the truth of the matter was that Lyla came up short in every category.

Julie was just better for him in so many ways.

"So, I was wondering if you'd given any thought to what I asked you about last week. You know, about us spending some time together. I miss you." Lyla said softly.

Tim sighed. "Garrity, I really don't think that's a good idea. As I'm sure you've heard, I'm with Julie now."

"Yeah, I noticed." Lyla said with a snarl. "But remember how good it was with us, Tim? Don't you miss that?" She asked, resting her hand on his chest.

"No, I don't." He said, shaking his head slightly. "And the only thing that was ever good between us was the sex, Lyla. That was it, because we never had anything else."

"But we could. If you'd just give me a try, give us a try." She said softly, pleading with her eyes.

Tim looked down at her, thinking how ironic it was that after all this time she could be his, but he didn't want her.

He didn't want her at all.

"I'm sorry, Lyla. It's not gonna happen." He muttered, pushing her hand off of his chest. "I've gotta get to practice." He mumbled, sauntering off toward the locker room.

Tim sighed, running his hand through his hair as he entered the locker room. Hopefully Lyla would finally take the hint, and leave him the hell alone.

He didn't want her causing problems for him and Julie. They had enough to deal with right now being the main topic of Dillon High gossip.

He was used to people staring and people talking, but he knew that Julie wasn't. But all in all, he felt the day had gone pretty smoothly.

"H-hey, Riggs." Matt stammered, coming to stand beside Tim as he arrived at his locker.

"Seven." Tim drawled, pulling off his shirt and taking a seat on the bench.

Tim began taking off his boots, quickly followed by his jeans as he got suited up in his pads for practice.

He looked up at Matt, still standing there quietly with a confused look on his face.

"You got something to say, Saracen?" Tim drawled.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I do." Matt said, taking a deep breath. "I uh, I see that you and Julie are goin' out or whatever."

Tim turned, meeting Matt's gaze. "Yeah. Is that gonna be a problem?"

Tim didn't want to fight with Matt. They were friends, and Saracen was a good guy.

But he also didn't want him sticking his nose in Julie's business. She wasn't his concern any longer.

"Uh, no. No problem." Matt said quickly, glancing at the floor before looking back up at Tim. "Just don't hurt her. Julie's a good girl, and she, and she doesn't deserve that."

Tim smiled, looking down at the floor himself to hide his expression from Matt. Saracen was obviously still carrying a small torch for Julie, and Tim knew that it had taken some guts for Matt to say that to him.

"No worries, Seven." Tim drawled, giving Matt a manly slap on the back. "You better get suited up." He said with a grin, grabbing his helmet and making his way out of the locker room.

He chuckled as he made his way outside. It hadn't really been a threat, but Matt was undoubtedly giving Tim a warning. But Matt didn't have anything to worry about.

"Good luck at practice, 33."

Tim turned, seeing Julie propped up against the field house, obviously waiting on him to exit the locker room and head to the field.

He smiled as he walked over to her, placing his hand on the wall beside her head and leaning forward. "Good luck, huh?"

She smirked. "Yeah, I figure you may need it after the loss and all. Dad'll be tough on you guys today."

Tim nodded. "Maybe you could give me a little something for luck." He grinned, a mischievous look in his eye.

"Oh, I wonder what you mean?" Julie asked sweetly, giggling quietly as he leaned forward and captured her lips with his own.

God, but she was sweet. The taste of her was enough to make him breathless, like he'd just ran a hundred wind sprints.

"Riggins!" Coach yelled, immediately causing Tim to pull back from Julie and all her sweetness.

"Shit." Tim muttered, turning to see Coach standing beside the gate leading onto the field.

"Get your hands off my daughter and get your ass on the field!" Eric yelled loudly, motioning Tim over with his hand.

He sighed, turning back to Julie to find her biting her lip, laughter in her eyes.

"I'll see you later?" He asked, taking a few steps backwards, not wanting to get yelled at again.

Julie nodded. "I'll see you after practice." She replied with a smile. "I'll be waitin' on yah."

Tim grinned, turning and jogging toward the field.

Julie Taylor was waiting on him.

He definitely liked the sound of that.


	15. Chapter 15

Title: Lonely No More

A/N: Hallelujah - the weekend has arrived! I hope that you ladies have an awesome one! You all definitely deserve it for all the sweet reviews you ladies are leaving me ;D Enjoy!!!

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"You wanted to see me, Coach?" Tim asked, knocking lightly on Coach's office door after practice.

"Yeah, yeah." Coach muttered, waving Tim inside. "Have a seat."

Tim took a seat, resting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward as he waited for Coach to speak, wondering exactly what was going on.

Tim knew from experience that being called into Coach's office usually wasn't a good thing.

Eric looked at him for several seconds before finally speaking. "Naked mile." He said slowly, drawing each word out.

"Um…" Tim said, grinning slightly. "That's a Panther tradition, Coach."

All the freshman players had to partake in the tradition of running naked across the field and to the water tower.

Tim had done it his freshman year, just as every Panther freshman before and after him had done as well.

Except that this year, the seniors had made JD McCoy run to the field house, going a little further than just to the water tower. He was QB1 after all.

Tim knew that Coach had caught JD running around bare-ass naked in the locker room the other night. He just wasn't exactly sure what that had to do with him.

"Big game coming up and this team needs to focus. A team captain should know that." Eric said quietly.

Tim nodded slightly, knowing that Coach was referring to him.

"JD needs to know that this team is behind him."

"We are sir." Tim replied.

"Does he know that?" Eric asked.

"Yes sir."

"The guys on this team respect you. If you take JD in, they will too." Eric said seriously. "I need you to make this happen. Make JD a part of this team."

Tim nodded again, understanding the meaning of Coach's words. "Yes sir."

"Good." Eric stated, leaning back in his chair. "How're things goin' with you and Julie?"

Tim grinned, ducking his head slightly. "Uh, good sir." He muttered, not knowing what to say.

He couldn't very well say what he was really feeling - that things were damn near perfect and that for the past couple of weeks he'd walked around 24-7 waiting on the next chance he got to kiss her sweet lips.

Eric nodded, looking at Tim for several seconds. "Alright, get out of here."

Tim stood. "Thanks, Coach." He drawled, stepping out the office and walking toward his football locker.

It looked like he was going to be spending the afternoon with JD, whether he wanted to or not.

At least Julie was at work, and it wasn't cutting into their time.

Tim grinned, quickly coming up with a little plan to mix Coach's dirty work and seeing Julie at the same.

"Hey, McCoy." Tim said loudly, getting the freshman's attention. "You've had a tour of Dillon, right?"

"Yeah." JD said quickly, coming to stand beside Tim.

"Well, not my Dillon, my friend." He drawled. "Let's go."

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"Here you go, sir. Another sweet tea for you." Julie said, smiling at the man before turning and heading to the cash register.

She was tired. Applebee's was unusually crowded for a week night, and one of the other waitresses had called in, leaving them short-handed.

Julie had been working at the restaurant for a couple of weeks now, and she truly liked the job.

Except for the occasional rude customer, it was pretty easy. She also got to spend some extra time with Tyra, and she made good tips.

The only downfall was that she was losing some time with Tim, though it seemed like they were pretty much spending every possible waking moment they could together.

The stares and the whispers had pretty much died down with the students of Dillon High moving on to another gossip topic, much to Julie's delight.

She was still receiving some angry glares from the rally girls, and Lyla Garrity had been shooting daggers at her with her eyes at every opportunity.

She clearly didn't like the fact that Tim was with her. In fact, Julie was pretty sure that more than a few hearts had been broken at seeing that Tim was off the market.

Well, she assumed he was off the market. At least in her mind he was.

They hadn't officially talked about it, but Tim was hers whether he liked it or not.

Besides school, they hung out together after practice on the days she didn't have to work.

And he always picked her up from work at night, acting as her 'personal chauffeur' as her dad had once called him.

She was genuinely happy, as most people could tell from the smile that she'd had plastered on her face for the past couple of weeks.

"Hey, Taylor." Tyra said, popping her on the arm with a dish towel. "Snap out of it. You just got some new people in your section. From the looks of the long-haired one, it could be trouble." Tyra drawled.

Julie turned, looking toward her section of tables, surprised to see Tim and JD McCoy taking a seat in one of her booths.

Julie smiled brightly. "I wonder what they're doin' together?" She mumbled, not really caring.

She was just glad to see Tim.

"Who knows." Tyra said, shaking her head. "Well go on, already. You look like you're about to burst with happiness or something. It's really kind of sickening." Tyra muttered, giving Julie a small shove.

Julie laughed, brushing her hair out of her eyes as she approached Tim's table. "Hey guys." She said, beaming down at Tim as she placed two menus on the table.

"Jules." Tim drawled, giving her a grin.

Julie felt fluttering in her belly at the sight of that sexy grin.

It was just down right sad when all he had to do was look at her a certain way, and she was ready to melt into a puddle on the floor.

Or jump on him.

Either way it was embarrassing at her lack of self control.

"This is a nice surprise." She stated, lifting her eyebrows slightly.

Tim shrugged. "A man's gotta eat." He said casually, a smirk on his lips. "Jules, you know JD."

"Uh, hi Julie." JD said quickly, smiling nervously.

"Hey, JD." Julie replied, giving him a smile before turning back to Tim and giving him a curious look.

Julie knew that JD and Tim were on the team together, but they weren't exactly what you'd call buddies.

"I'm givin' JD a little tour of Dillon." Tim smirked, lifting his eyebrows playfully.

Julie put her hand on her hip, biting her lip as she looked at him thoughtfully. "A tour, huh? What exactly does this tour entail?"

"Just a few places that our young QB needs to know." Tim drawled.

Julie snorted. She could only imagine the places that Tim felt that JD needed to know.

They probably all revolved around women, beer, and football.

"Well, I'm pretty sure your QB doesn't need to tour the Landing Strip." Julie stated, giving Tim a look. "So, go ahead and take that one off of your list of stops." Julie said quickly.

Tim chuckled. "Yes ma'am."

Julie rolled her eyes playfully, turning toward JD. "What can I get for you to drink, JD?"

"Uh, just a water." JD answered quickly, giving her another nervous smile.

"Alright, be right back." Julie stated, turning to walk away.

"Hey!" Tim called out, bringing her to a stop. "What about me?"

Julie smiled. "I know what you want." She said simply. "You want a beer, but I can't serve you that. So you'll take a sweet tea instead. Right?"

"Right." Tim drawled, smiling as she turned and walked away, admiring the rear view of her as much as he admired the front.

"She's cute." JD stated, turning his gaze back toward Tim, as he too had watched Julie walking off.

"Yeah, she's that alright." Tim muttered.

All that and more, he thought to himself.

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Julie climbed into Tim's truck later that night, her long shift at work finally over.

"Long night?" Tim asked.

Julie sighed, sliding over to the middle of seat so that she sat right beside Tim, a spot that she had claimed as her own after their first kiss out at the lake.

"Yeah." She said tiredly. "We were so busy tonight. I earned a lot in tips, but I'm beat."

"Poor baby." Tim said playfully, dropping a quick kiss on her lips. "Well, let's get you home so you can get some rest." He drawled, pulling out of the parking lot.

"So, what were you doin' having dinner with JD McCoy tonight? I didn't think you guys were friends." Julie said moments later, glancing over at him.

"Your dad asked me to."

"My dad asked you to take him out to eat?" Julie asked, doubt evident in her voice.

Tim chuckled. "Well, not really. He told me to kind of take JD under my wing or something, to help him be accepted by the rest of the team."

"That makes sense." Julie said quietly. "The guys look up to you, and if you accept him they will too."

Tim shrugged. "I don't know if they look up to me as much as they're just scared of me."

Julie laughed softly. "Well, maybe a little bit of both." She said, leaning her head on his shoulder as they drove through town.

They rode along in silence, the cool night air filling the truck, making Julie thankful for Tim's warm body beside her.

It was a testament to their relationship how comfortable Julie now felt just being with Tim without the need to fill the silence with chatter.

She was a talker, and probably always would be. But she had learned to enjoy these quiet moments between the two of them, simply enjoying being with one another.

Much too soon, Tim pulled onto Julie's street, coming to a stop a few houses down from her home and killing the engine.

"You're going to make me walk?" She asked playfully, lifting her head from his shoulder.

"Nah." He drawled, stretching his arm out behind her on the seat. "I just wanted a proper goodnight kiss without Coach watching out the window."

Julie grinned. "You're a pretty smart guy, Tim Riggins."

"Just sneaky, Jules." He smirked. "And besides, I told you at the restaurant that I'd give you the rest of your tip later."

"Yeah, you did say that." She said slowly, a grin on her lips. "And I think I deserve it. I was a pretty good waitress, I thought."

"Damn good." He smirked. "And definitely the best lookin' one I've seen." He drawled, leaning in to brush his lips across hers.

Julie kissed him back for a few seconds, before pulling back, her gaze dropping to his lips.

Lord, but he had a truly kissable mouth. She could kiss that mouth for hours, but right now she needed to focus.

She dragged her eyes away from his lips, meeting his gaze as his face was just inches from hers.

"I need to ask you a question." She said quickly.

Tim playfully took a deep breath, as if he was preparing himself for something horrible. "Shoot." He drawled.

Julie grinned at his antics, placing her hand on his hard chest. "If someone asked you what I was, what would you say?"

Tim stared at her for a few seconds before speaking. "A girl." He said slowly, unable to hold back a grin.

"Tim." She said, slapping him on the chest as she tried not to laugh. "Seriously, like if they asked what I was to you, what would you say?"

He was quiet for a few moments as he held her gaze. "I guess I'd tell 'em that you're my gal." He stated, looking into her eyes. "Is that a better answer?"

Julie grinned, feeling butterflies in her stomach at his words and the intense way he was looking at her.

"Much better." She muttered, closing the space between them and capturing his lips, a possessiveness to her actions.

She was his.

And he was definitely hers.

And that made her just about as happy as a girl could be.


	16. Chapter 16

Title: Lonely No More

A/N: Hope you ladies had a good weekend! Thanks for all the feedback, alerts, and favorites. Here's the next installment of Tim and Julie time. Enjoy :D

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"Billy, you can't wash windows worth shit." Herc stated loudly, shaking his head back and forth.

Tim chuckled, seeing the go-to-hell look Billy passed to Herc as they put the finishing touches on remodeling the old Garrity house.

The three of them, along with Jason had worked their asses off the past few weeks, painting and rebuilding parts of the home to hopefully sell and make some quick money.

They were pretty much finished, and all in all, Tim thought the house looked pretty damn good considering that the four of them didn't know a thing about remodeling houses.

"Herc, I've got a huge bandage on my hand. It's kind of hard to wipe this window with that in the way." Billy huffed, giving the sliding glass door one last wipe before throwing the rag down.

"Well, excuse me." Herc drawled. "It ain't my fault you shot a damn nail through your hand cause you can't use a nail gun."

A muffled laugh escaped from Tim's mouth, earning him a dirty look from Billy.

"Shut up, Tim." Billy said quickly, crossing his arms defensively as he leaned back against the wall.

"Boys, boys." Jason admonished, rolling into the room. "Well guys, I do believe that we're finished."

"Seriously?" Tim asked, glancing around at the house.

"Yep. I think that's everything." Jason nodded, a smile on his face. "Now all we gotta do is actually sell it."

"That shouldn't be too hard." Herc said quickly. "Nice house, nice neighborhood…it'll get sold quick."

"I hope so." Billy muttered, letting out a deep breath. "Mindy's already talkin' about wedding plans."

"Billy and Mindy sittin' in a tree…k-i-s-s-i-n-g…" Herc sang playfully, earning him a slap in the back of the head from Billy. "Hey!" He said, rubbing his head.

"Y'all are worse than little kids." Jason muttered, shaking his head. "What do you boys say we go celebrate?"

"Sounds good." Herc replied, a huge grin on his face.

"Yeah, a beer sounds real good right about now." Billy agreed with a nod.

"Timmy?" Jason asked, looking his way.

"I can grab a quick drink, but I gotta pick Julie up from work in a few hours." Tim drawled.

"Ah man, you are so whipped." Herc said with a laugh, the others laughing along with him.

Tim smirked, shrugging his shoulders. "At least I got a woman."

"That is true." Herc admitted, a grin on his lips. "A fine-looking woman if I do say so myself. All that long hair…gets a man to thinkin'"

"Julie is a looker." Jason agreed. "Not sure what she's doin' with you though, Riggins." He said playfully.

Tim stood, shaking his head. "Me neither." He said with a smirk.

"Maybe I had it all wrong." Herc said, looking from Billy to Tim. "Maybe it should be, Tim and Julie sitting in a tree…k-i-s-s…" Herc sang again, ducking as Tim slapped him in the back of the head. "Damn it! You Riggins' boys are violent today."

Billy laughed, clapping Tim on the back as if to say 'good job'.

Jason shook his head. "Let's go get that beer. I need it if I'm gonna have to put up with y'all much longer."

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"Are you serious?" Julie asked, her voice filled with laughter. "Billy really shot a nail through his hand with a nail gun?"

Tim nodded. "Serious." He replied, smiling as she continued to laugh.

God, he loved that sound. And the look on her face when she laughed – so open and carefree.

He had picked her up from work and they had driven out to the cliffs, wanting to just get away from everyone and everything for a little while.

They sat near the edge, in a patch of grass as the big Texas sun sank below the horizon, casting a rainbow of colors over the sky.

He and Julie had been dating for several weeks now, and he honestly didn't think he could be any happier.

He had never been one for relationships, but he found that he enjoyed being in one with Julie.

It was nice to have someone there for you when you needed them.

She listened to him, and encouraged him, and had become his biggest defender, which was kind of funny considering she was such a little thing.

He also got a sense of satisfaction out of trying to be there for her as well.

Tim wasn't used to having someone depend on him, but he was getting used to it.

She didn't try to change him. Hell, she probably encouraged him to be himself more than anything, but he found himself wanting to be better for her.

And he sure as hell enjoyed all the kissing and making out. It hadn't gone any farther than that yet, which most people probably wouldn't believe.

He was known for his one-night stands, and he sure as hell enjoyed sex, but he didn't want to rush Julie into anything.

He didn't want it to be something she'd regret. And though it was frustrating at times for both of them, he figured they'd know when the time was right.

"So, what happens now? Do y'all have anybody lined up to buy the house?" She asked with a smile, bringing him back to the conversation.

"Jay's got some real estate agent working on it." He shrugged. "So, we'll see what happens."

Julie nodded, brushing her wind-blown hair back out of her face. "I'm sure it'll sell quickly. I hope so anyway, I know that you guys need the money."

Tim nodded slightly. "Yeah, Billy's already fussing about how much this wedding's gonna cost him."

"Tyra said that Mindy's picking out all this pink stuff. Like really girly, frou-frou type stuff." Julie said, leaning in to pat him on the chest as she giggled. "I don't think I've ever seen you in pink before, but I guess I better prepare myself."

"Pink?" Tim drawled, a frown on his face. "For real?"

"For real." Julie grinned. "But, no worries. I'm sure you look fabulous in pink. It's gotta be better than plaid." She said playfully, laughing as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"Are you makin' fun of me, Jules?" He growled playfully, nuzzling his nose against her neck.

Damn, she smelled better than any girl had a right to.

It was a scent that he couldn't put his finger on - sweet and spicy all in one.

It was simply Jules.

"I'm just sayin'…" She replied, wrapping her arms around his neck as he easily pulled her over into his lap.

"You don't like my plaid shirts?" Tim asked, trying to give her his best wounded look.

"I didn't say that." Julie responded, running a hand over his chest, popping the top button of his shirt open. "But, I think I'd like 'em better off of you, than on you."

Tim smirked. He loved when she was like this – all flirtatious and brave.

It made him want her even more.

"Well, that can be arranged." He mumbled, pulling her head toward his as he placed his lips on hers, teasing and tasting her with his mouth.

He grinned as he felt her sigh, her body all but melting against his.

He knew how she felt, because she did the same thing to him.

Julie leaned closer, running her fingers into his hair, trying to pull him even closer to her.

Tim groaned at the feel of her fingers on his scalp, but he pulled back as he felt her laughing against his lips. "What?"

"You've got something in your hair." She mumbled, pulling his head forward to look, laughing louder. "It's paint. How'd you get paint in your hair?"

"Herc and Billy kind of had a paint war earlier, and I got stuck in the middle." He drawled, watching her eyes light up.

"I'd like to have seen that." She said, a smile on her pink lips.

Lord, but she was gorgeous when she smiled like that and Tim couldn't help but to kiss her once again.

There was something about kissing Julie that made him feel like he was kissing for the first time.

She made him feel such a strong, swift rising of desire, that he felt like he may never catch his breath again.

Tim ran his tongue softly and slowly across the inner edge of her upper lip, tasting the sweet warmth of her. He coaxed her mouth open wider, teasing her with his lips.

He felt his body tighten as a small moan escaped from her lips.

Julie was giving as good as he gave, matching the caress of his tongue with her own, as her hands wound through his paint-covered hair.

Tim's mouth abandoned her lips, beginning a trail of open-mouth kisses down her neck as his hands slid underneath the edge of her shirt, running his thumbs slowly back and forth over the soft skin of her abdomen.

Julie leaned her head back, giving him plenty of room and shivering as Tim ran his tongue from the base of her throat to her chin where he stopped and nibbled before capturing her mouth again.

Tim continued the kiss, imprisoning her lips with his own, tasting her heat and doing his best to lose himself in the feel of her tongue gently teasing his.

He wanted to kiss her senseless.

He wanted to sink himself inside of her and not come out.

He wanted to take everything she had to offer and give her every piece of himself.

But he couldn't do it here.

And he couldn't do it now.

He couldn't rush with her like he had with all the others.

She was worth more even if she didn't realize it.

He pulled back slowly, dropping small, quick kisses on her lips, nose, and eyebrow before pulling back fully.

He felt his gut tighten at the sight of her heavy-lidded eyes and plump, kissable lips.

He wanted nothing more than to lay her back in the grass and have his way with her.

But as she leaned forward and laid her head on his chest with a small sigh, he knew that he'd wait forever if that's what it took.

Because the kissing and petting, and just having her in his arms was better than any sex he'd ever had before.

Just because it was Julie.


	17. Chapter 17

Title: Lonely No More

A/N: Hello ladies :D Hope you're all having a good week so far. As always, thanks so much for all the great feedback! Here's the next bit - Enjoy :D

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"Catch you guys later." Tim called to a couple of teammates as he walked out of the locker room.

"See yah, Riggs." They called back, heading toward the parking lot.

Tim ambled toward his truck, grinning as he saw Julie sitting on the tailgate waiting on him, her jacket bundled around her.

He watched her face as she noticed him coming closer, taking pride in the fact that he could make her eyes light up and her smile brighten just by being around.

"Hey." She said, pulling her earphones out of her ears as he walked up.

He smirked, leaning down and placing a brief, hard kiss on her lips.

"Well…" She said slowly, a grin on her face. "Nice to see you, too."

Tim chuckled. "What are you doin' here? I didn't know you were waitin' on me."

"Well, I had to stay after school and help with the school paper. And by the time I was finished with that, practice was almost over." She shrugged. "Thought I'd just wait on you as opposed to riding home with my mom, that is if you don't mind givin' me a ride home."

"You know you don't even have to ask." He said simply, taking her hand and helping her hop down off the tailgate.

"We better be goin'. Landry's got that gig tonight, and I promised Tyra that we'd be there." Julie said, dusting her jeans off with her hands. "And I need to go home and change first."

"Tell me again why you made that promise." Tim drawled, giving her a look.

Julie grinned, taking a step closer to him. "Because…she's scared no one's going to show up. Besides, I don't have to work, so it'll be nice for us to do something for a change."

"Well, I was hopin' we could do something alone." He drawled, his voice dropping lower.

"We'll make an appearance at the gig, and then we'll go do something alone." She said, mimicking his voice. "That sound good?"

"Sounds great." He muttered, dropping another quick kiss on her lips.

"Hey Tim. Mr. Riggins."

Tim turned a scowl on his face, seeing a man he didn't know walking toward him.

Didn't the guy know how rude it was to interrupt someone when they were trying to steal a kiss?

"Yeah?" He drawled.

"Tim, I'm Scotty Simms, from San Antonio State." The man said, giving Tim's hand a firm shake.

"Hi. How're you doin'?" Tim asked, wondering why in the world this guy was wanting to talk to him.

"I'm good, I'm good." He answered. "Been tryin' to track you down. You're a hard guy to pin down."

"Yeah, I've been pretty busy with practice and playoffs and all." Tim replied.

Now that he thought about it, he remembered getting a few recruiting letters from San Antonio State. But he had thrown them away, like he had all the others he had received.

Scotty looked at Julie, giving her a smile. "Hi."

"Hi." Julie said, returning his smile.

"Oh, sorry." Tim said quickly. "This is Julie Taylor. Jules, Scotty Simms."

"Nice to meet you." Scotty said cheerfully. "Look Tim, I don't mean to blindside you like this, but we're graduating our whole line next year, and we really feel like you'd be a great fit for our team next year."

"Thank you." Tim mumbled, not sure what else to say.

"I tell you what. I'll be in town for a couple of days. Why don't you come over to the Marriott tomorrow night, and we can sit down and discuss some things." Scotty said, passing Tim a business card.

Tim looked at the card, flipping it over in his hands. "Uh, well…" He stammered, trying to come up with some excuse as he felt Julie nudging him in his side.

"What time?" She asked.

"How 'bout eight o'clock? Maybe talk over some dinner." Scotty answered, a big grin on his face. "What do you say, Tim?"

Tim sighed, nodding his head. "Sure. Eight o'clock."

"Alright. See yah then." He replied, turning to walk away.

Tim stood there, staring down at the card for a few seconds. He wasn't sure how he felt about this whole meeting.

He had never really considered going to college. That had always been Jason's dream, or really anybody's dream but his own.

"Tim, this is great!" Julie said, smiling up at him.

"Yah think?" He asked, his voice low.

"Well, yeah." She replied quickly. "I mean, he's obviously interested if he drove all the way down here. San Antonio's over two hours away."

Tim nodded slightly, slipping the card into his back pocket.

"Are you not excited?" She asked softly.

He shrugged, running his hand through his long hair. "I don't know. I mean, college. Really?"

"Why not?" Julie said quickly.

"Because the words Tim Riggins and college don't really go together, Jules." He said with a quick laugh.

His name was better associated with words like football, beer, or women. College definitely wasn't one of them.

"But that doesn't mean it can't happen." She said quickly, looking up at him. "And it's just a meeting. It can't hurt to go and see what he has to say."

Tim nodded slowly. "I guess."

"I know." Julie replied, biting her lip as she looked up at him. "Come on. We better get goin'." Julie said after a few seconds.

Tim nodded again, walking around and opening her door. He sighed as he slammed it shut, conflicting feelings still in his head about the whole college deal.

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"There are a lot more people here than I thought would be." Julie said loudly, trying to be heard over the crowd that had gathered at the bar to hear Landry's band play.

"Yeah." Tyra drawled. "I'm surprised this many people showed up."

"Here yah go, Jules." Tim said, appearing at her side and handing her a drink.

"Thanks." She replied, giving him a grin as he slid his arm around her waist, resting his large hand on her hip.

"Hey everybody. We're Crucifictorious. Thank you guys for coming out." Landry said from his spot on stage, as the band launched into their first song.

"Is this gonna be bad?" Julie asked, giving Tyra a look.

"There's a strong, strong possibility." Tyra said, shaking her head.

As Landry began to sing and the song progressed, Julie was pleasantly surprised.

They actually sounded good.

"They're a lot better than the last time I heard 'em." Tim drawled, leaning down toward her to be heard, his breath tickling her cheek.

"You've seen Landry perform before?" She asked, surprised.

Tim nodded. "He helped me out a while back with some school stuff, and I went to see him play kind of as a thank you. He's a hell of a lot better now."

Julie grinned, nodding in agreement. She glanced over at Tyra, noticing the smile on Tyra's face.

"Landry's kind of cute up there." Julie said in teasing voice, giving Tyra a look.

"Yeah, I know." Tyra mumbled, never taking her eyes off the stage.

Julie smiled. Maybe this was what Tyra and Landry needed to get them over their 'break' or 'break up' – whichever it was.

"I'm gonna go get another drink." Tyra stated after a few songs had been played. "I'll be back in a minute."

Julie nodded, watching her walk back toward the bar.

As Tyra walked away, Tim moved to stand behind her, wrapping his long arms around her waist and resting them lightly on her stomach.

He pulled her back against his chest, and lowered his head to rest next to hers. He held her, the curves of her body nestled perfectly against the front of his body.

Julie felt a little light-headed. Her blood was pulsing to the loud music, and having Tim so close was definitely heightening her senses.

With his solid form behind her, his strong arms around her, and his warm breath on the side of her face, the flutters in her stomach were in full force.

As good as she felt, she couldn't help but feel like something was bothering Tim.

He had been quiet, well more quiet than usual, on the ride home from school and on the ride to the bar.

She knew that it probably had to do with that representative from San Antonio State. That's when he had gone all quiet on her.

It hurt her heart that Tim felt like he wasn't good enough to go to college.

He was a lot smarter than he gave himself credit for, and he was a damn good football player.

Tim didn't exactly have a past history of having a whole lot of people believing in him and encouraging him.

Other than Billy and maybe Jason, that was it.

And she didn't want to pressure him in any way, but she wanted to let him know that he _was_ good enough.

She believed in him, even if he didn't.

"Hey." She said, turning in his arms. "Let's step outside for a minute."

"You okay?" He asked, a worried look coming over his face.

"Yeah, yeah." Julie replied quickly. "I just need a little break from the loud music and all this smoke."

Tim nodded, taking her hand in his and leading her through the crowd and out the door.

"Better?" He asked, leaning up against the outside of the building, swinging their entwined hands back and forth.

"Yeah." Julie smiled. "I just needed a moment."

"No worries." He replied, pulling her closer so that she stood between his legs, his body heat feeling heavenly in the chilly autumn air.

"Can I ask you a question?" She said softly, placing her hands on his chest, tracing the Panthers' logo on his shirt with her fingers.

"Uh-oh." Tim drawled, giving her a leery look.

"Shut up." Julie said, smiling up at him. "Seriously though, are you okay? You've been quiet all afternoon. Or ever since that guy from San Antonio State approached you."

Tim sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Don't lie to me." Julie said, patting him on the chest. "I can tell it's bothering you. I know you, Tim. Are you nervous about the meeting? Or are you upset at me?"

"What?" He asked, giving her a look. "Of course I'm not upset with you. Why would I be?"

Julie shrugged slightly, looking down at his chest as she spoke. "I don't know. I guess I was worried that you might have thought I was trying to pressure you into meeting with him, or that I was trying to pressure you to go to college."

Tim shook his head, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Nah, I didn't think that."

"Good." Julie said. "Because I don't want to ever try and persuade you to do something you don't want to do. But I do want you to know that regardless of what you think about yourself, I know that you are capable of going to college, and being successful."

"I don't know, Jules." Tim mumbled, shaking his head. "I mean, honestly going to college hasn't ever really been something I've thought about."

"Well, you should think about it. I'm not sayin' that you should definitely go, but you should at least consider it." She nodded. "Don't just rule out the option of college because you don't think you could make it. You could do it, Tim." She said softly. "I've got faith in you." She whispered, leaning up and placing a soft kiss on his lips.

She pulled back, meeting his gaze. He looked adorable with his hair hanging in his face and a small, somewhat self-conscious smile on his lips.

"You're something else, Jules." He mumbled, pulling her closer and placing a kiss on her forehead.

"That's what I hear." She said cheekily, laughing softly as he pulled her against his warm body.

As she laid her head against his solid chest, she smiled. It was all going to be alright.

And hopefully she'd managed to get through that gorgeous, hard head of his and he'd at least give going to college a second thought.


	18. Chapter 18

Title: Lonely No More

A/N: Okay ladies, if you didn't notice, I changed the rating to "M" for mature. So, read at your own risk :D And you all better let me know your thoughts on this one! Enjoy!!!

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Julie shivered, none too happy about the wet and windy weather around her as she watched the Panthers out on the field.

They had made it all the way to the semi-finals, and were facing the West Cambria Mustangs, in a game that would decide whether or not they would make it to State.

Nearing the end of the fourth quarter, the game had been a back and forth battle, complete with slippery fumbles and more than one interception from JD.

Tim was playing well though, something that Julie was extremely happy about it. He joked about her being his biggest fan, but in all honesty she really was.

"I'm scared." Julie muttered, glancing at the clock to see only a few seconds left in the game, with the Panthers losing 7-14.

"Me too." Billy replied quickly, giving Julie a smirk as they shared an umbrella. "We've gotta make something happen right here on this play. We ain't got much time."

Julie nodded, turning her gaze back to the field as the Mustangs prepared to punt the ball.

The Mustang's center snapped the ball, and thank God for the rain as the kicker fumbled it, getting it in his hands a second before Tim plowed into him at full force.

The kicker fell onto the ground, the ball popping out of his wet hands, only to be scooped up by the Panther's #49.

"Go, go, go!" Julie yelled, watching as the player ran the ball into the endzone for a touchdown, bringing the score to 13-14.

"Woohoo!" Billy screamed, clapping Julie on the back hard enough to make her stumble. "Oh, sorry Jules."

Julie grinned, letting him know that it was alright.

She didn't blame him. She was ecstatic too.

"Coach is goin' for two." Billy said, watching as Panthers took the field for what would be the last play of the game.

"Oh Lord." Tami mumbled, from beside Julie. "I hope your father knows what he's doin'."

"He's goin' for the win, mom. Not the tie." Julie stated, silently praying that her dad's plan worked.

She held her breath as she watched the ball being snapped and snatched up by JD.

JD fell back, stumbling on the wet grass and scrambling as several Mustang players tried to tackle him.

Somehow managing to stay on his feet, he fired the ball into the air, seconds before being plowed to the ground.

It felt like things were moving in slow motion as the ball spiraled through the air, slowly making it's way toward the endzone.

Julie watched as Tim made a miraculous catch as he slid on the wet grass, giving the Panthers the win, 15-14.

"Yes!" Tami screamed, enveloping Julie in a huge hug, both getting soaked as they dropped their umbrellas.

"We're goin' to State!" Billy yelled, clapping Julie on the back again.

Julie could do no more than smile brightly as she stood in the stands, watching the team celebrating out on the field, her eyes focusing on #33.

They were going to State.

After that hard fought game, they deserved it.

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"You know what that was?" Tim asked, walking into his house and shutting the door behind him. "That was a game for the ages. What a game."

Julie smiled, taking off her soaked jacket and throwing it over the table.

"Are you sure you don't want to go out?" Julie asked, taking a seat on the couch. "You guys are goin' to state. I'm sure there's tons of parties."

Tim shook his head, grabbing a couple of beers out of the fridge. "The real parties are after we win state." He said with a smirk.

Julie smiled as he walked around to the couch, taking the cap off of her bottle before handing it to her. "Thanks."

Tim nodded. "And besides, I think I'd rather just hang with my gal. Especially after a night like tonight." He said softly, plopping down on the couch beside Julie.

"You played so well." She said, pushing a strand of wet hair back off of his face, her fingers trailing lightly over his skin.

"It was a good game." Tim said, turning his face toward her as he leaned his head on the back of the couch. "We're goin' to State." He said with an excited grin, looking boyishly charming and completely adorable.

"Yeah, I know." She replied, laughing softly as she leaned forward to brush her lips across his.

The kiss started out sweet, but she groaned as it quickly turned into something much hotter, his mouth moving aggressively over her own.

Julie was sure that she'd never get used to Tim's kisses. She felt confident that he'd always be able to leave her feeling as if she couldn't breathe.

Needing to be closer to him, Julie pulled back, quickly straddling his lap, bringing them dangerously close as she dropped her mouth to his once again.

Julie was breathless as he kissed her.

And kissed her.

And kissed her again.

His mouth pressed against her own, his tongue circling and tasting, his teeth nipping and pulling gently.

Julie trembled as he covered her face and throat with hot, sweet kisses before returning back to her mouth.

A hunger like she had never felt before consumed her as she ran her small hands underneath his shirt, tracing over his rigid abdomen and hard chest.

Tim groaned, squeezing her waist appreciatively before pulling the hem of her shirt up slightly as he ran his hands up her smooth stomach to her breasts.

Julie gasped, the sound being caught by Tim's mouth as he squeezed her breasts through her bra, making her burn all over as she pressed closer to him.

"Jules." He murmured, trailing kisses down her neck and onto her chest.

Julie shivered, running her hands through his hair. "Tim, wait." She squeaked, surprised that she could even speak.

He looked up, a heated look in his eyes that made Julie smile. She was affecting him just as much as he was her.

"We should go in your bedroom." She said quickly. "I don't want Billy walkin' in on us."

Tim sighed, running his thumbs back and forth along the bottom edge of her bra. "I uh, I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not sure I'll be able to stop if I actually get you in bed." He said quietly, looking her directly in the eye.

Julie smiled. He was so damn sweet when he wanted to be. No one had ever made her feel the way he did.

And she knew that she wanted him.

Here and now.

No more waiting.

"I don't want you to stop." She murmured, resting her forehead against his.

"You sure?" He asked, a small smile on his lips as he searched her face.

Julie bit her lip, nodding quickly. "My parents think I'm stayin' the night at Tyra's."

Tim smiled, capturing her lips in a hard, possessive kiss before standing from the couch.

The two quickly made their way to Tim's room, shutting the door as their lips quickly found each other once again.

Julie ran her hands over his chest, lifting his shirt, wanting to feel him without anything in the way.

Tim lifted his arms, pulling the shirt up and off in a matter of seconds much to Julie's delight.

Her hands were everywhere – stroking his chest, running up and down his arms, struggling to unbuckle his belt.

Tim responded quickly by lifting her shirt up over her head and easily unhooking her bra.

Julie giggled as they tore at each other's clothes, their hands all over one another as clothing disappeared - shirts and socks landing on the floor, his briefs landing on the bed, while her panties were flung across the room.

With no barriers between them, they kissed, and they felt one another, and they breathed deeply.

Julie was sure that she no longer had actual bones in her body. They had melted and dissolved as the heat between her legs grew hotter and hotter.

Julie gasped as Tim lifted her up, settling her on the bed right where he wanted her. She watched as he reached over, pulling a small foil packet out of his bedside drawer.

With fascination, she watched as he tore the packet with his teeth and quickly rolled the rubber on, giving Julie a good look at all of Tim.

She knew that she should probably be nervous.

She was a virgin, while Tim was way ahead of her in the experience department.

But she wasn't nervous, or scared.

Only excitement and another deep emotion that she didn't want to think about filled her body as he stretched out on top of her, aligning their bodies perfectly.

"Are you sure?" He mumbled, pushing her hair back away from her face.

Julie nodded, giving him a smile as she pulled her lip between her teeth in anticipation.

Tim groaned at the sight, leaning down to kiss her lips as he slowly began to enter, rocking his hips back and forth slowly, inch by inch.

It hurt more than Julie had thought, but it was a good kind of hurt. And the kisses Tim was trailing over her body were doing a damn good job of making the pain fade away, slowly changing into pleasure.

Julie gripped his shoulders, his groans echoing in her ears as she held on to him. The sensations were building as they rubbed against one another, as close as two people could possibly be.

"Jules…" Tim murmured, increasing his pace as he murmured erotic words in her ear, telling her exactly how he felt and exactly what he wanted.

Julie gasped, as she felt an overload of emotions, like she was approaching an edge. With a loud cry, she fell over that edge as sensations burst inside her.

She felt Tim following close behind as he cried out, rocking his hips against hers one final time before dropping his head against her shoulder.

Julie felt sure that she would never be able to move again as she breathed deeply, willing her racing heart to slow down.

After several minutes, Tim lifted his head to meet her gaze.

Julie didn't think he'd ever looked sexier than he did at that moment, a satisfied smile on his face and his sleepy, bedroom eyes.

She smiled, not sure what to say. _Now_ she felt nervous.

She didn't think 'thank you' was really appropriate, even though that's exactly what she felt like saying.

He leaned down, placing a kiss on the tip of her nose.

"Sweet, sweet Jules." He murmured before dropping a kiss on her lips.

Julie sighed as she kissed him back.

She knew that she had made the right decision by having her first time be with Tim.

It was perfect.

And she now knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she was crazy in love with him.


	19. Chapter 19

Title: Lonely No More

A/N: Ugh...it's been a long week at work and it's only Tuesday! Here's a little something for you ladies. Only one chapter left after this one, and I probably won't be able to get the next one up until this weekend. So, until then please read and review this chapter. Thanks for all the great feedback on the last one! You ladies are awesome!!! Enjoy :D

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Julie woke slowly, her eyelids fluttering open as she yawned. It took her a moment to gather her whereabouts and to realize that she wasn't in her bed.

No. She was in Tim's.

That much was apparent from the messy room and the Christmas lights hung decoratively over the bed.

She grinned as she rolled over slowly, wanting to get a good look at him while he was still sleeping.

Lord, but he was gorgeous.

He was a combination of hard muscle and soft tanned skin. His hair was hanging in his face, and his features were relaxed, making him look much younger and peaceful.

He had been beyond sweet the previous night, making sure that she was okay with everything.

But while there had been sweetness, there had also been an aggressiveness to his motions, making her feel both breathless and a little powerful that she could elicit that kind of reaction from him.

She loved him.

She had felt pretty sure that she did before, but after what they had shared last night – she knew it was true.

She wanted to tell him. Hell, she wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but she wasn't so sure if that was a good idea.

She knew he cared about her deeply. Tim had never been very good at relationships, and he had proven that he cared for her through the simple fact that he was trying very hard to make their relationship work.

But she also knew that Tim had probably had tons of girls tell him that they loved him. And a lot of them probably did, but they weren't 'in love' with him like she was.

She knew the _real_ Tim. The Tim that no one else really got to see.

And she loved him.

"It's too early to be thinkin' that hard." He mumbled sleepily, shaking her out of her thoughts.

She met his gaze, finding him half-awake and looking up at her, a lazy grin on his face.

"Hey." She said with a shy smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hey." He drawled, staring at her for a few seconds before wrapping his hand possessively around the back of her neck and pulling her forward so that she was draped across his bare chest.

Julie shivered, quickly remembering that she didn't have on any clothes and neither did he as she felt her cool skin pressed against his warmth.

"What are you thinkin' 'bout?" He asked quietly, looking at her closely. "Regrets?"

Julie smiled. He was worried, she could tell.

"No regrets." She said in her best Tim voice, causing him to chuckle as he leaned in for a kiss.

"Tim! Timmy!" They heard Billy yell, right before he flung Tim's door open. "Tim get – oh, hey Julie."

"Oh God." Julie mumbled, quickly trying to cover herself up with the bed sheet.

"What Billy?" Tim asked lazily, clearly not as embarrassed at being caught as Julie was.

He was obviously used to having his brother catching him in bed with random girls.

"Ah, hell. Does Coach know you're here Julie?" Billy asked, leaning against the doorframe. "Of course he doesn't. Stupid question. But if he finds out, you're dead little brother."

"He's not gonna find out, Billy." Julie said quickly. "Cause you're not gonna tell him." She said sweetly.

"Well, hell no. I ain't gonna tell him." Billy said loudly. "I don't want him killin' me too."

Julie elbowed Tim as he started to chuckle. She really didn't see anything real funny about the fact that she was lying in bed naked with Tim, while he and his brother were acting like they were talking over the Sunday paper or something.

"Well Tim, get up and get ready. I've gotta show you something." Billy said, excitement in his voice. "You too, Julie. Hurry." He said, walking out of the bedroom.

Julie glanced at Tim with a confused look on her face. Tim shrugged, leaning in to drop a kiss on her lips before rolling out of bed.

Sweet Lord Jesus, Julie thought as her eyes zeroed in on Tim's naked backside as he bent to retrieve his underwear from the floor.

Julie said a silent prayer of thanks to her maker for creating such a beautiful specimen, and a second thanks for making him all hers.

Tim turned, catching her mid-stare, a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Come on, Jules." Tim drawled, smirking down at her as he tossed her panties on the bed. "Better get some clothes on before he comes back."

The mention of Billy barging in again got her brain to working properly. Julie didn't have to be told twice, as she rolled out of bed and began to get ready.

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"I love it." Tim drawled, standing in front of the old abandoned building. "Love it."

"Ain't she great?" Billy asked, pride in his voice as the three of them walked closer to the building. "I was thinkin' that we could put the hydraulic lift right over there, and then maybe put a fridge over here and stock it with some cold beers."

"Yeah." Tim said, nodding in agreement.

Julie smiled as she watched the excitement on both their faces. To her it was just an old, run down building, but she knew that to them it was much, much more.

And that reason alone was enough to make it exciting to her as well.

"What do you think, Julie?" Billy asked, grinning goofily.

"It's nice." She said quickly, giving them both a smile. "I think it's perfect for what you have in mind."

"Get this…" Billy said, pausing as he held his hands up. "Riggins Riggs. Doesn't that sound great?"

Julie laughed, nodding her head. "Sounds great."

"It's awesome, Billy." Tim said, nodding his head as he clapped his brother on the back. "Really man, it's great."

"Thanks, little brother." Billy said, pulling Tim into a manly hug.

Julie smiled as she watched the pair, laughing when Billy reached out and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her into their hug.

She never dreamed she'd be sandwiched between Tim and Billy Riggins, enveloped in a group hug.

But she sure did like it.

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A week later found Julie sighing as she stood in the Texas Longhorns locker room along with other friends and family of the Panther players.

The boys had just played a hard-fought game, but had come up short against Dallas County in the state championship.

It had been so close, with a win right in their reach. But it wasn't meant to be, as the opposing team had scored a field goal for the win with just seconds left on the clock.

Julie glanced at Tim, watching him closely as he listened to her dad talking to the players. She felt bad in general, for her dad and for the whole team.

But she especially felt bad for Tim. She had so hoped that he could have won another state ring for his final year as a Panther.

"Gentlemen, you are champions." Eric stated as he ended his speech, a smile on his face as he made eye contact with each player.

Tim had a small, bittersweet smile on his face as he listened to her dad's words.

"Come on, hun." Tami whispered. "Let's go wait by the buses while they get changed."

Julie nodded, looking back at Tim one last time before following her mother out of the locker room.

The two of them made their way out to the buses, where they stood for quite a while as they waited on the team to arrive.

They stood silently, both of them lost in their own thoughts and saddened by the loss.

Finally, the team began to load the buses, passing by Julie and her mother as they stood leaning against the bus.

Julie waited and waited on Tim, but he never came. Finally, her dad rounded the corner, stopping to give her mother a hug and a brief kiss.

Julie smiled at him as he wrapped her in a hug, too. "You did good, dad." She murmured quietly.

He didn't speak but squeezed her a little harder, dropping a kiss on her forehead before heading onto the bus.

Julie stood beside her mother for several more seconds, still no sign of Tim.

Julie sighed. "I'm gonna go see if Tim's still in the locker room." She said to her mother, turning to head back toward the stadium.

She knew that he had to be upset. She wasn't sure what she was going to say once she found him, but she had to make sure he was okay.

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Tim walked slowly off the field, his head down as he left his cleats behind, leaving it all on the field where he played his last game as a Panther.

He ambled toward the bus, his head was down, and his old, sheepskin jacket thrown around his shoulders, the sling on his arm keeping him from wearing it properly.

He looked up, surprised to see Julie walking toward him, a worried look on her face.

Despite feeling tired and weary, he had to smile. She looked so cute bundled up in her jacket, with her cheeks and nose red from the cold.

"Hey." She said softly as he came to a stop in front of her.

He smiled down at her, pushing his wet hair out of his face. "Hey."

She gingerly wrapped her arms around his waist, obviously not wanting to hurt him. "Are you okay?"

He nodded slowly. "Just dislocated it." He mumbled, wrapping his good arm around the back of her head and pulling her against his chest.

Tim sighed, holding her against his chest for a few seconds, enjoying the warmth and the comfort that Julie offered.

"I was worried about you." She muttered against his chest, nuzzling her cold nose against his neck. "You played a good game."

Tim nodded slightly, tightening his hold around her and resting his head on hers.

It was nice to have someone worry about him.

And she was right. He had played a good game. A great game really.

He definitely had given it his all in his last game. No one could deny that.

"I love you." Julie mumbled softly, the words almost just a breath against his neck.

Tim paused, holding his breath as his arm tightened around her instinctively.

After a few seconds he slowly pulled back, lifting her chin so that she was looking him in the eye, wanting to make sure he didn't just imagine those words.

"Say it again." He said huskily.

"I love you." She said again, giving him what he was sure was the sweetest smile he'd ever seen.

He grinned, leaning down and kissing her lips tenderly. "I love you, too." He said softly as he pulled back, seeing the sparkle in her eyes as he said the words.

And he did love her.

He wasn't good with words, but he could say those, and he sure as hell enjoyed hearing 'em back from someone who truly meant them.

He leaned forward to kiss her again, knowing that he may have come up short in the game, but that he had won the prize – he had the girl he loved in his arms.


	20. Chapter 20

Title: Lonely No More

A/N: Alas, the end has arrived! I hope you ladies like this one as much as you have the rest. Enjoy!!!

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_Five months later…_

Tim smiled as he watched Mindy Collette – soon to be Riggins – walking down the aisle, arm in arm with her mother.

She was a sight to behold, smiling brightly, fairy wings and all.

Remembering his manners, Tim took off his ridiculously large white hat, glancing over at Billy and nudging him to do the same.

Billy had an indescribable look on his face. A little scared, but a lot in love.

Tim couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh at the situation.

Who would have guessed that the Riggins brothers, the two wildest guys in Dillon, would both be so blissfully happy and in love.

Of course, Tim wasn't getting married. At least not yet.

Billy and Mindy were an odd pair, but somehow they fit. And they were truly in love.

Tim couldn't be happier for his brother. Billy really deserved some good in his life, and Tim knew that today was only the beginning for the happy couple.

He knew they would have a long, happy life with one another. Probably pretty darn unpredictable knowing those two, but happy nonetheless.

And somehow, Tim had managed to luck up and find a good gal for himself.

Tim Riggins was in love.

Not lust, not just looking for a good lay – but really, truly, in love.

It was still kind of shocking when he thought about it, and even after dating her for over half a year, he still couldn't quite believe it sometimes.

After the many rally girls and cheerleaders, the older women and the one-night stands, people would think that Tim would have resisted getting tied down with one girl. But in fact, it was right the opposite.

After years of not feeling loved, of being alone, of trying to find that missing piece, that something that he couldn't name but knew was missing – Tim had found that it was right in front of his eyes all along.

Julie Taylor.

Just the thought of her brought a smile to his lips, as he scanned the church looking for her.

He easily spotted her sitting beside her parents near the front, her gaze fixed on the bride and groom.

She was looking especially hot today with her hair curled softly around her face and a sweet little maroon dress hugging her curves.

He'd have fun getting her out of that later, he was sure.

"Tim!" Billy hissed, grabbing Tim's attention. "The ring?"

"Oh yeah." Tim muttered, quickly pulling Mindy's ring out of his pocket and passing it to Billy.

Tim watched as the two of them swapped rings and said their vows, grinning stupidly at one another.

He couldn't help but grin as Mindy began reciting _Finding Nemo_, as his eyes looked toward Julie.

She grinned at him, rolling her eyes playfully.

She had gotten a big kick out of Mindy's wedding vows, and of course he had laughed along with her.

It was pretty hard to be with Julie and not laugh about something. He just truly enjoyed being with her.

With graduation just a few weeks away, he was both looking forward to the summer and dreading it at the same time.

He was looking forward to the lazy days at the pool with her, the late nights, and driving down to the lake for a little Tim and Julie time.

But he was also dreading it, because he knew that summer meant that college was just around the corner.

And that meant leaving Julie.

He'd gotten a football scholarship to San Antonio State, a fact that had thrilled both Billy and the Taylor's.

It seemed that everyone else had a lot more faith in him than he had in himself.

Especially Julie.

It was crazy how someone so damn perfect could believe in a screw up like him. Much less love him.

But he was damn glad she did.

He still didn't know if he was really cut out for college, but he was gonna give it a try.

'_It can't hurt to try'_ she kept telling him, and he knew that was true.

Julie had driven out to the school with him a few times, helping him get all the final paperwork settled and all.

San Antonio was only two and a half hours from Dillon, so it wasn't that far.

Julie had assured him that she'd come visit as often as possible, and Coach had already said that the family would try to make it to most of Tim's home games.

They had found a little roadside diner about half way between Dillon and San Antonio on one of their trips to the school, and they had quickly decided that would be their meeting spot.

They could both hop in their vehicles and meet there, able to see each other in just a little over an hour.

Tim had also liked the diner for the simple fact that there was a motel across the street.

You know, for emergencies.

He knew it wasn't gonna be easy, but they'd make it work.

He loved her like crazy, but more than that – she was his best friend.

And he knew sink or swim, pass or fail, that she'd be there for him.

Yeah, they'd be alright, he thought giving her a smile as the preacher introduced Mr. and Mrs. Billy Riggins.

They'd be just fine.

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Julie chuckled as she watched Billy and Mindy sharing their first dance as husband and wife. Billy clearly didn't have the same 'experience' dancing that Mindy had.

The wedding had been sweet. Definitely not the way Julie hoped to have her's someday, but it had been sweet nonetheless.

And she had to admit that the Riggins' knew how to throw a party. With the open bar and the live band, the reception was rocking.

Her eyes fell on Tim as he stood behind the large table at the front of the room that was reserved for the wedding party.

He should have looked ridiculous in his white tuxedo and pink silk tie, complete with matching hat.

But he looked far from ridiculous.

He looked good. Real good.

She watched as he said something to Tyra, laughing as Tyra quickly rolled her eyes before punching him in the arm.

God she was going to miss them next year. Tyra would be going off to UT and Tim was heading off to San Antonio State.

She guessed she and Landry would be left behind to moan and groan to each other about being lonesome.

Though in all honesty, she was extremely proud of Tim and wanted him to go to San Antonio State.

She was going to miss him like crazy, but she wanted him to at least give college a shot. She wanted him to see for himself that he could do it if he truly wanted to.

And it wasn't like they were never going to see each other. Her parents had surprised her with a new car for all her hard work at school and help with Gracie – a car that was much nicer than the one she'd been saving up to buy from Mrs. Oddmarc.

So she now had a car of her own that she could drive to San Antonio whenever her heart took a notion. She had a feeling that was going to be very often.

And of course he'd come home whenever possible, or they'd meet up half way. Julie knew that they would both do whatever they needed to make the long distance thing work.

"Well, hello gorgeous." Tim drawled, appearing at her side with a long-stemmed pink rose.

She smirked as she took the offered flower, smelling the sweet scent as he took the chair beside her, scooting as close as he could get.

"Thanks."

"No worries." He smirked.

"Have I mentioned how good you look today?" Julie asked slyly, running her finger over his pink tie. "You look dashing in pink." She said playfully.

Tim grinned, running his hands up the outsides of her thighs, making her shiver. "Nah Jules, you're the one lookin' good. I like this dress. It's sweet." He drawled softly.

"Well, I bought it with you in mind." She replied, leaning forward and resting her forehead against his.

"Sweet of you." He muttered, closing the few inches between them and stealing a quick kiss.

"What was that for?" She asked, licking her lips.

"Just wanted to kiss my gal." He shrugged. "All this talk of sweet fish and forever after's got me feelin' just a tad romantic."

Julie chuckled, cupping his cheek with her hand.

He really was a charmer. She didn't know how she got lucky enough to end up with him, but she was damn glad.

"Alright folks, lets have all the happy couples out on the dance floor." The lead singer of the band said loudly, his voice booming out over the speakers. "We're gonna slow it down a little."

"Come on." Julie said, taking his hand as she stood up quickly.

Tim sighed. "You wanna dance?"

"Yes…" Julie said with a whine. "I love to dance, and we never do. Come on, he said all happy couples and that's us." She grinned, pulling him up and dragging him out onto the dance floor as the singer belted out lyrics to a slow, love song.

Julie wrapped her arms around the back of Tim's neck, smiling up at him as he slid his muscled arms around her waist, pulling her against his chest.

"See, isn't this nice?" Julie asked, looking up at him as the two slowly moved side to side.

Tim smirked, not saying a word as she gave the hair at the back of his neck a small tug. "Alright, alright." He chuckled. "It's nice. Better than nice actually." He murmured softly.

Lord, he knew just what to say and just how to look at her to make her just melt. She was sure if he wasn't holding her so tight, that she'd already be a puddle on the dance floor.

"Son, has anyone told you that pink is definitely your color?" Eric asked, giving Tim an aggravating grin as he and Tami walked up beside them.

"You know Coach, I've actually heard that a few times today." Tim drawled, giving Julie a look as everyone laughed.

"Well, don't listen to 'em." Tami said quickly, giving Tim a pat on the cheek. "You look great. And you did a great job during the ceremony."

"Thanks, Mrs. T." Tim drawled, giving her a smile.

"Well, if y'all will excuse me, I need to dance with my wife before some other man who's better lookin' than me tries to steal her away." Eric stated, giving Tim and Julie a wink before gathering Tami in his arms and dancing away.

Julie smiled as she watched her parents. She really was lucky that she had such a good family, even if they did drive her crazy at times and there were those moments when she swore that she had to have been adopted.

They had pretty much accepted Tim as another member of the family. He spent way more time at her house than he did at his own.

Tim was the son her dad never had, with them watching sports and having ping-pong tournaments in the garage. He was constantly talking about how Tim helped to even the male-female ratio around the Taylor household.

And her mom went out of her way to dote on him, and had gotten into the habit of cooking his favorite foods whenever she knew he was coming over.

All in all, he had just wormed his way into her life and into her heart, taking up permanent residence there and making her wonder what she ever did without him.

She sighed softly as she laid her head on his solid chest, smiling as she felt him brush his lips against her forehead tenderly.

She definitely wasn't lonely anymore. Far from it.

And for the moment she was happy and perfectly content.

She smiled, because she knew that this was just the beginning for her and Tim, and that they had many more happy moments left to come.

_- The End -_

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A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this last chapter :D I can't thank you ladies enough for all the alerts, favorites, reviews, and just actually taking the time to read this story!!! You ladies are the best :D I've got another story in the works, so be on the look out for it soon! Thanks again!!!


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